Police issued an Ohio man a criminal citation on Saturday for smashing a car window to rescue two dogs locked inside the vehicle from the heat.
Richard Hill told WJW that he heard a car alarm go off in a Walmart parking lot in Parma Saturday afternoon and noticed a group of people surrounding the vehicle, which had a motionless puppy and large dog inside.
A bystander already placed a 911 call and had been informed the police would investigate the situation, but Hill, who works as a home improvement contractor, decided to act anyway.
“I wanted to get that puppy out of there and make sure that he was okay,” Hill said. “So at that point, I decided to grab a hammer and went ahead and broke the window.”
Although Ohio has a Good Samaritan law on the books to protect people who try to help children and animals trapped in hot cars, police arrived less than four minutes later and charged Hill with criminal damaging because they say he overreacted to the situation.
“I didn’t know how long it was going to be for [police] to get here, and I truly felt that the puppy needed out,” Hill told Cleveland.com. “I’ve had to wait for police before and know that it can take 15, 20 minutes, or more than half an hour.”
A car’s cabin in 78-degree weather can reach over 100 degrees within 20 minutes, according to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.
Carly Hartman, who owns the dogs, left the sunroof and two windows cracked open while she went into the store to purchase an item. Police did not issue her a citation when she returned to her vehicle.
Hill said he plans to fight the citation when he is due back in court on August 15.
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