Dogs left in locked car on college campus until they died in heat, FL cops say

A driver is facing felony charges after two dogs died after being trapped in his car at Northwest Florida State College, according to investigators in the Florida Panhandle.

The dogs were discovered by passersby around 1:20 p.m. Monday, April 28, and it’s suspected they endured temperatures of 130 degrees inside the vehicle, the Niceville Police Department reported in an April 30 news release.

“Officers were dispatched to the Northwest Florida State College .... after receiving a report from a concerned citizen about animals in distress inside a parked car,” police reported.

“Upon arrival, officers located the vehicle and observed one deceased dog and another receiving CPR from other first responders. Despite the life saving measures, both animals were declared deceased at the scene.”

The dogs were left in the locked in vehicle “for an extended period with windows closed and no apparent ventilation,” investigators say. The temperature outside in the parking lot was 85 degrees, and the heat was magnified to around 130 degrees inside the vehicle, police said.

The 34-year-old owner of the vehicle was located on the campus and arrested on two counts of aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony, officials said. Records show he lives in Crestview, about a 10-mile drive north of the college.

Investigators did not reveal why the suspect was at the college, which has an enrollment of about 5,000 students, according to U.S. News.

Niceville is about a 55-mile drive east from Pensacola.