Charges Dropped Against Desert Storm Vet Who Broke Into Hot Car to Save Dog

The Georgia Army veteran who was arrested and charged for breaking into a car in order to save an over-heated dog locked inside has been cleared of any charges.

Michael Hammons of Athens had been charged with criminal trespass in the May 9 incident at the Epps Bridge Centre shopping center in nearby Oconee County, during which he smashed through the driver’s side window of the car to reach the small Pomeranian-mix dog.

Temperatures were well into the 80s when the incident happened around 11:30 a.m. at the busy shopping center, but it was unclear how long the dog had been in the car.

Hammons, a Desert Storm veteran, used a leg rest from his wife’s wheelchair to bust into the Mustang, angering the owner and resulting in her pressing charges.

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But Monday, Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ken Mauldin said the car owner had agreed to drop the charges, WXIA-TV reported, and the case was dismissed.

The arrest drew heated debate on the issue of whether Hammons deserved to be charged in the first place.

A Patch story on the incident drew more than 120 comments, mostly in support of Hammond, ranging from “ I would have done exactly the same thing!!!” to “The [owner] who left the dog in the car is the one who needs to go to jail.” But, at least one commenter questioned whether the dog was actually in any danger.

Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, at the insistence of the car’s owner, said it was bound by state law to make the initial arrest. State law does not allow breaking into a car to save a pet, the sheriff’s office said.

“We did not arrest him on our own volition,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook after the incident, where numerous posters debated the issue.

The Banner-Herald reported the owner, Elantra Cunningham of Athens, was cited by animal control for leaving a dog in a hot car.

Hammons told WXIA-TV “I just did what had to be done.” His wife told WSB-TV, “He will do anything for anyone … or as you see, anything.”

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gave Hammons a Compassionate Action Award.

Photo: WSB-TV