Animal cruelty suspect arraigned in court
Nov. 1—AMESBURY — A Nahant man who local police say left two dogs in a sweltering car was ordered to allow an animal control officer to periodically check on his pets following his arraignment Friday in Newburyport District Court.
Steven Cleary, 54, of Bass Point Road faces two counts of animal cruelty. State law says anyone convicted of cruelty to animals faces up to 7 years in prison or 2 1/2 years in jail. Offenders can also be fined up to $5,000 and lose custody of the animals.
Judge Allen Swan released Cleary on personal recognizance but not before ordering him to also license and vaccinate his dogs. Cleary is due back in court on Dec. 14 for a pretrial hearing
It was 89 degrees on Aug. 24 when Amesbury Officer Teagan Davis responded to the Friend Street municipal parking lot about 5 p.m. for a report from a good Samaritan who saw two dogs in distress inside a black Jeep parked in direct sunlight, according to a police report.
The dogs, a Newfoundland and a Labrador, were panting and drooling. Two windows were down a quarter of the way but there was no water inside, and one of the dogs was leashed in a way that did not allow it to lie down, according to police.
"My heart was torn about the dogs," Police Chief Craig Bailey said in August. "They looked like they were in distress for a while."
Bailey said Davis learned that the owner was not likely to return for hours. The dogs, both with elevated temperatures, were taken to a nearby veterinarian for treatment.
Bailey said the dogs would pull through but he shuddered to think what would have happened if the good Samaritan had not notified police.
Cracking open the windows of a car will do very little or nothing to reduce the temperature inside the cabin, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Temperatures inside a vehicle can rise almost 20 degrees in 10 minutes, and almost 30 degrees in 20 minutes. At one hour, the temperature inside a vehicle can be more than 40 degrees higher than the outside temperature, according to the association.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
