Dog Left In Hot Car For 30 Minutes; Ohio Woman Faces $250 Fine

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — An Ohio woman was cited by City of Fairfax Police for leaving her dog inside a hot car for more than 30 minutes, according to the weekly crime report. The outside temperature at that time was 77 degrees, according to AccuWeather's historical weather data for Fairfax.

Officers responded around 2:06 p.m. on Saturday to the parking lot of the Lifetime Fitness at 9602 Main St. The person who contacted police said that a dog appeared to be in distressed after being left in a hot car for more than 30 minutes.

"Officers were unable to immediately located the owner of the dog," according to the incident report. "With the assistance of the City of Fairfax Fire Department, officers took custody of the dog and transported the dog to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter for treatment and temporary housing."

After the dog was treated, it was later handed over to its owner, 57-year-old Hong Wilson of Cincinnati, who was issued a Virginia Uniformed Summons for failure to provide adequate water to a companion animal, according to police.

Hong has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 18 in Fairfax City General District Court, according to court records. The failure to provide adequate water to a companion animal charge is a Class 4 misdemeanor, which is the lowest level of misdemeanor offense, under the code of Virginia. It carries a maximum penalty of a $250 fine.

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, the temperature was 77 but felt like 80, according to AccuWeather's historical weather data for Fairfax.