Desert Storm Vet Breaks Into Hot Car to Save Dog, Gets Arrested

The arrest of a Desert Storm veteran who broke into a locked car to save a dog he believed was in distress last weekend near Athens, Ga., has had social media burning up this week.

According to media reports, Michael Hammons of Athens was arrested by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office after the owner of the car pressed charges Saturday at the Epps Bridge Centre shopping center.

WXIA-TV reported Hammons used a leg rest from his wife’s wheelchair to bust into the Mustang and remove the small dog from the hot car. It was unclear how long the dog had been in the car. Temperatures were well into the 80s Saturday when the 11:30 a.m. incident happened.

“I just did what had to be done,” he told the TV station.

Hammons quickly removed the dog after breaking the window, then took it into some shade and gave it water, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

But that angered the owner, who pressed charges against Hammons for breaking her window. The Oconee sheriff’s office said state law required deputies to make the arrest.

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

State law apparently doesn’t allow breaking into a car to save a pet, the sheriff’s office said.

“The Georgia General Assembly did pass SB34 in the 2015 session. That bill deals with children and elderly being left in cars. Animals are not mentioned in that bill, and new laws in Georgia typically do not take effect until July 1st in the year in which they are passed.”

— From Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

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

His wife Sandra Hammons told the Athens newspaper their phone has been ringing off the hook with calls of support. “They’re calling him a hero and that would be the last thing that Michael would ever want to be called,” she told the newspaper. “He was just a normal person doing what should be done.”

Sandra told WSB-TV, “He will do anything for anyone … or as you see, any thing.”

• See this video report from WSB-TV

The veteran’s actions drew praise from witnesses who watched him quickly break into the hot car and save the dog at the busy shopping center.

“He was a hero, we thought,” one witness told Channel 2.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Wednesday it will be giving Hammons the Compassionate Action Award.

Photo: WSB-TV