Crime & Safety

Dog Left in Car for 24+ Hours Dies, Owner Charged with Animal Cruelty

An Irvine woman was arrested for allegedly leaving a dog in her vehicle in Coachella for more than a day, resulting in its death, a sheriff's sergeant said Wednesday.

Late Monday, a California Highway Patrol officer saw a dog inside a parked and locked vehicle at Vista Del Norte and Dillon Road and contacted sheriff's deputies, who interviewed people who worked in the area. They learned that the vehicle was there for over a day, with the windows closed, sheriff's Sgt. Robert Bishop said.

Deputies found the owner of the dog and vehicle, 29-year-old Charu Lata Khanna, and arrested her on suspicion of felony cruelty to an animal resulting in death. Riverside County Animal Control officers took custody of the dead animal, Bishop said.

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Khanna was booked into the county jail in Indio and posted a $5,000 bond on Tuesday. She is expected to be arraigned July 16 at Indio's Larson Justice Center, according to jail records.

– City News Service.

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