PHOENIX — Police arrested a woman accused of killing a dog by leaving it outside on an apartment balcony without food or water in over 100-degree weather, a spokesperson with the Phoenix Police Department said.
According to court documents, neighbors at an apartment complex near Central Avenue and McDowell Road called police around 3 p.m. after they noticed the dog was in distress. At that point in time, it was about 102 degrees Fahrenheit outside, according to Sky Harbor Airport's readings.
The apartment management company reportedly told the apartment renter to come back and let the dog inside. While officers were at the apartment, 31-year-old Ivory Crawford, who was not the renter, arrived and brought the dog in then left before police could speak to her.
Nearby neighbors told police that they had seen the dog locked outside since around 10:30 a.m., its condition gradually worsening until they could no longer hear it.
When officers knocked on the apartment door, the dog didn't bark.
Officers called the renter and asked her to come back so they could check on the dog. The renter then told police that the dog was Crawford's, but she'd still come let them in.
When Crawford and the renter returned, the renter went in ahead of police and shut herself inside when she saw the dog, documents stated. Claiming she needed to make a phone call, the renter reportedly didn't let police see the dog, leading to her and Crawford being detained around 6:30 p.m.
Officers searched the apartment, only to find the dog dead in the bathroom. Officers also found scratch marks on the balcony door and a half-full bowl of water in the bathroom.
Crawford was booked into jail on possible animal cruelty charges.
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