Clearwater Man Arrested After Dog Left In Car Dies

CLEARWATER, FL — A 38-year-old man was charged with felony animal cruelty late Monday after Clearwater Police said he left his dog and cat inside his car while he went to work and the dog died.

Jeffrey Hazen, who recently moved from Georgia, told officers he had driven from Georgia to Clearwater with the animals and went straight to work at a local hospital when he arrived in Clearwater Monday afternoon.

With no where to live yet, he left his pets in his car. He said he left his car engine running with the air conditioning on and locked the doors when he began his shift at 2:30 p.m.

Temperatures Monday were in the upper 70s and humidity levels were high. When Hazen went to check on the animals at about 7:30 p.m. he found the car was no longer running.

His dog, a 2-year-old mixed breed named Biscuit, was dead inside. He went back to work and did not report the dog's death to police or animal control.

A hospital security worker called police who summoned Pinellas County Animal Control workers. They took custody of the cat who they said was severely dehydrated.

Hazen was booked in to the Pinellas County Jail where he remained on Tuesday.