Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty In Boynton Beach

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BOYNTON BEACH (CBSMiami) - A woman is facing animal cruelty charges after she reportedly left a pit bull puppy with a heavy chain around its neck locked in a car.

Boynton Beach police were called to the parking lot of The Inn, at 480 W Boynton Beach Boulevard, after several people noticed the dog in the car was in obvious distress.

Witnesses told police the dog had been in there between an hour and two hours with all the windows close. When police couldn't locate its owner they smash a rear window and pulled the dog out.

The dog, which was panting and moving sluggishly, was given water and aid.

Officers then noticed a box in the backseat that was tightly sealed with tape. They heard noises coming from the box and opened it to find a live rabbit. Police say there were no air holes in the box and the rabbit would have died if it was left in the car much longer.

While on scene, officers eventually made contact with the car's owner 21-year-old Beatrice Turner. During questioning she told police "the dog is fine in the car" and expressed no concern for the wellbeing of either animal she left locked inside.

Turner was taken into custody and charged with two counts of animal cruelty.

Boynton Beach firefighters were called in to cut heavy chain from the dog's neck which was so tight that it restricted its breathing. Both it and rabbit were turned over to the county's Animal Control department.