Man left 3 puppies in hot car at Daytona Beach, deputies say

Man arrested on animal cruelty charges

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A Volusia County man has been arrested after deputies say he left puppies in his vehicle while he went to the beach in 92-degree weather.

Shanton Penn, 23, has been charged with animal cruelty in the Sunday afternoon incident at Daytona Beach.

Deputies said they were flagged down by beachgoers just after 3 p.m. who said that Penn had locked three puppies in his vehicle and left them to return to the beach for 15 to 20 minutes.

According to the report, deputies found the 5- to 7-week-old puppies panting heavily, with one laying on his side with his eyes closed. No water was found in the vehicle, which had the windows down 1.5 inches.

Deputies said they broke into the Chevy minivan and removed the puppies.  The puppies were found dehydrated and heavily panting before they were given water and a shower to cool down.

Penn walked up to the vehicle and yelled at deputies, "Y'all (expletive) are paying for the damage."

According to deputies, Penn had been gone for 30 minutes before he was found on the beach.

Penn told officers he left enough air in the car for the dogs, according to the report, but he was still arrested. Penn appeared before a judge on Monday afternoon and faced three counts of animal cruelty. He's being held on a $6,000 bond.

The puppies were taken to the Southeast Volusia Humane Society and are expected to be OK.

"You wouldn't leave your kids so why would you leave your animal," said beachgoer Rebecca Burian.


About the Author:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.

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