Animal cruelty charges for ex-pet owner

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The woman whose dog died after she left it in a hot car for three hours pleaded guilty to animal cruelty Monday and was given a $203 fine.

Doung Thuy Nguyen also was ordered to pay restitution for the emergency response.

The incident took place June 14 at RiverTown Crossings, in Grandville.

Customers first spotted the dog in the car around 2 p.m. near Macy's.

Mall General Manager Randy Zimmerman told 24 Hour News 8 neither the mall nor the Grandville Fire Department was notified until 4:45 p.m. Crews responded to the scene, and firefighters got the dog out of the car. The animal was alive but its condition was deteriorating. So they put water in a syringe and tried getting the dog to drink.

But it died soon thereafter in the mall parking lot.

Although the car's windows were cracked, it was too hot inside for the dog to survive. Police say the outside temperature was around 78 degrees at the time. Inside the car, animal control officers estimate the temperature soared to somewhere between 98 and 100 degrees.