PHOENIX (AP) - A Phoenix woman is facing a felony charge of animal cruelty after her dog was left in a locked car for five hours and died.
Phoenix police say 44-year-old Deanna Caroline Zapata was arrested Sunday.
Zapata told officers she was parked outside a self-storage facility and the facility didn’t allow animals inside.
She says the windows in her car were cracked open in 90-degree weather with the vehicle’s air-conditioning turned on.
Zapata also says there was a small water dish inside the vehicle for her 7-year-old dog and the car was parked under a tree.
Police say the water dish was found on the car’s floor overturned and empty and the dead dog was located under the driver’s seat.
Zapata didn’t have an attorney at her initial court appearance Tuesday.
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