Dog Dies After Woman Locked It in Hot Car as Punishment: Police

A woman has been arrested after allegedly leaving her dog to die in a hot car as punishment for attacking her other pets.

Mouheb Ashakih, 58, of Sandusky, Ohio, has been charged with felony cruelty to animals after police received a call from a concerned neighbor on Saturday, August 7.

The neighbor told police that he saw Ashakih putting her pit bull in her car with the doors locked and the windows up.

The dog had been inside the vehicle for around 20 minutes, with temperatures hitting around 81 degrees Fahrenheit before the neighbor called 911, according to a police report seen by the Sandusky Register.

"He stated he observed the dog tearing up the inside of the vehicle and it appeared he wanted out," the report states, via Fox 8.

"He noticed all the windows were rolled up and he was concerned for the canine's safety. He went over to the residence and spoke to Mouheb through her side window. He told her to let the dog out, to which she replied, 'I don't care. I want him to die.'"

Police went to speak to Ashakih, who told officers that she put her dog Chapo in the backseat of the vehicle after it attacked one of her other dogs. Ashakih told police that she had four other dogs inside her home.

An officer then rushed over to the car, jumping over a fence to do so. The officer saw the lifeless dog "either passed out or deceased" in the backseat of the vehicle.

"Mouheb began screaming upon observing her canine and begged us to break her car window," the report added.

Police said the dog was stiff and hot to the touch when it was pulled from the vehicle. Its paws were cut and bleeding and the inside of the vehicle was also covered in blood, as if the dog was desperately attempting to get out.

"The dog was fighting for his life inside this car," police Chief Jared Oliver told the Sandusky Register. "The dog struggled inside the car but he was overcome by the heat. It's just terrible."

After Ashakih was arrested, she made a number of concerning statements to offices, resulting in her being sent to Firelands Regional Medical Center for a mental evaluation.

After she was cleared, the suspect was taken back to her home where she gave permission for the Erie County dog warden to remove her four remaining dogs—one 2-year-old and three 6-month-old puppies—from the property.

Ashakih is due in court Monday to face the charge.

The Sandusky Police Department has been contacted for comment.