Man Charged With Trespassing After Saving Dog From Hot Car
In the state of Georgia, it is legal for a person to break a car window if another person’s life is in danger, but the same protection does not cover a person trying to save an animal.
On Saturday, Michael Hammons, an army veteran, broke a Mustang’s window to save a Pomeranian dog trapped in the vehicle, which was parked in a shopping center in Athens. The day was extremely warm, and the dog had been suffering terribly from the heat inside the car. What’s more, Hammons knew he might get in trouble, but he saved the dog anyway. He told WAGA-TV that “I knew there’d be consequences, but it didn’t matter. Glass, they make new glass every day, but they could never replace that dog”.
Witnesses say that Hammons took the dog to nearby shade and gave it water after rescuing it from the Mustang. The car’s owner, Elantra Cunningham, soon arrived — she subsequently demanded that police should arrest Hammons. Hammonds freely admitted to what he had done, so Police had no choice but to arrest him. Oconee County Chief Deputy Lee Weems claimed, “We didn’t want to charge him, but he told us he broke the windows and when you have a victim there saying she wants him charged, we had no other choice”.
Hammonds has been charged with criminal trespassing. Elantra Cunningham received a citation for leaving the dog in the car.
