- Christopher Winter was arrested on Tuesday and faces animal abuse charges
- He appeared in court on Wednesday and is being held on bail
By Sabrina Penty
Published: | Updated:
A man has been arrested after six dogs were found dead inside a locked moving truck in Las Vegas by police as temperatures rose above 105 degrees.
Christopher Winter, 53, who owned the U-Haul truck and a SUV where the animals were found was arrested on Tuesday and now faces charges of animal abuse.
A total of 15 animals were found between both vehicles. There were 12 dogs, six of which were dead, and three cats.
According to Fox 5 Vegaspolice responded to 911 calls about a dog locked in a parked U-Haul in the Mountain View Hospital parking lot.
The officers arrived at the scene to find a dog in distress, and resorted to breaking a window to rescue it.
Credit: 8 News Now. Las Vegas police arrested on Tuesday arrested a man after discovering six dead dogs inside his vehicle. The police also found more animals. They said the temperature was 105F
Police said it appears that Christopher Winter was living in the cabin of the U-Haul truck where the dogs were found
However upon investigating the vehicle, the police found six dead dogs in the back of the truck.
Just a few parking spots away from the U-Haul, officers found a burgundy SUV, where they found two more dogs and two cats inside. The air conditioning was on and the animals were in good condition, they said.
The Animal Cruelty section is investigating the incident and working to determine if the dogs died due to the heat.
8NewsNow reported that police said Winter was living in the U-Haul's cabin.
Officers also noted thatdogs looked 'to have been deceased for a long time,' court documents revealed.
Winter appeared in court on Wednesday, where Judge Rebecca Saxe ordered the man to be held on $50,000 bail despite not having a prior criminal record.
In court, it was also pointed out that there was an animal 'covered in blood' inside the U-Haul.
Saxe also ordered Winer to stay away from animals. He is set to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on June 17.
According to theAnimal Legal Defense Fund, conditions inside a car can turn lethal for any animal if let unattended.
Animal rights non-profit PETAsaid that in 2023 alone, 163 animals endured heat-related deaths while another 855 were rescued from the heat - and those are just the ones that were reported.
So far in 2024, the organisation has recorded 14 deaths.
PETA advises to never leave your dog in a hot car, commenting that 'it's like being baked alive.'
The RSPCA said temperatures can reach 116 degrees inside a car on a warm day, and also reported that the majority of calls it receives in the summer months are about dogs left in hot, stationary cars.
Animal welfare organisations recommend taking action in the event of coming across a dog that's been left alone in a car on a hot day.
Here is what to do, as recommended by animal organisations.
First, you must check if the animal is showing signs of heatstroke. The most apparent signs in dogs are heavy panting, excessive drooling and drowsiness. The most extreme indications are if the animal collapses or is sick.
If you believe the animal is in danger, PETA advises taking the car's licence plate number and attempt making contact with owner.
People are also advised to seek professional help, with PETA advising individuals to contact authorities.
On its website, it says to: 'Call 911 immediately. While you're waiting for the police to arrive, write down the car's make, model, and license plate number, or take a picture of the vehicle and go to the nearest building to find a manager and ask that the owner of the car be paged. If authorities are unresponsive or too slow to respond and the animal's life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness who will back up your assessment before carefully removing the animal from the car and carrying him or her into the shade.'
