TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — A tow truck employee is in custody after leaving a dog inside a hot car in Twiggs County, according to a press release from the Twiggs County Sheriff's Office.
They say on Tuesday a deputy conducted a traffic stop on I-16 in Twiggs County for a window tint violation.
The driver was arrested for having an invalid driver's license.
There was a dog in the car and the driver could not get in touch with anyone to come pick up the dog.
The release says the deputy arranged for the dog to go with the tow truck service until the driver could get in touch with someone to come pick up the dog. The driver agreed to this happening, the release says.
The sheriff's office says the tow truck service has done this in the past as a courtesy to the County and the Sheriff's Office because the county doesn't have an animal control service or facilities.
The driver had their cell phone during the entire stop to try to get in contact with someone to get the dog, the release says.
When the tow truck driver left the arrested driver's car in the tow yard, he also left the dog in the car and let the windows down about three inches to allow airflow.
The dog later died from the heat, the release says.
The arrested driver was notified when he went to pick up his car after getting out of jail. This was around three hours after he was first arrested.
On Wednesday around 12:45 p.m., the tow truck driver, Edwin Brown, was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, the release says.
The case will be forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review and prosecution.