Portsmouth Police Remove Dog from Hot Car; Arrest Maine Woman

A local woman was arrested last night after police allegedly found a dog locked inside her vehicle for numerous hours.

Nakita Haller, 21, of Congress Street in Portland, ME, was arrested at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2015, and charged with cruelty to animals and animals in a motor vehicle.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Portsmouth Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

Officers were called to the Worth Parking Lot where a black lab was found barking in a vehicle, according to a report.

The witnesses at the scene called police after noticing the dog was barking around 8:30 p.m. and still in the car, “whining and pacing,” at 10 p.m. when they returned to the garage.

Officers arrived attempted to locate the owner of the vehicle but were unsuccessful. A state trooper K-9 unit was called in and it was determined that while the dog was not in immediate danger, the dog needed to be monitored for future signs of stress.

“Throughout this call, officers never left the animal alone,” according to Sgt. Kuffer Kaltenborn.

At around 11 p.m., a locksmith was called in to assist in removing the dog from the vehicle. The lab was transported to a local veterinary hospital and was treated for moderate dehydration.

Haller, according to police, called and stated that she was the caretaker of the dog and was heading to the hospital but allegedly never showed up, according to Kaltenborn. She was later arrested. Police then learned that the dog belonged to her brother. Haller allegedly refused to identified her brother and he is being sought for questioning, according to police.

“It is certain that individual knows about this crime and has made no attempts to contact the Portsmouth Police, the SPCA or to cooperate with this investigation,” Kaltenborn noted. “Based on these facts, this incident is still considered an active investigation and the animal’s owner is now being sought for questioning. The Portsmouth Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance with this investigation. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Officer Max Webber at the Portsmouth Police Department at 603-610-7509.”

The dog was transported to the SPCA in Stratham where it remains currently.

• Sign up for news alerts from local New Hampshire Patch sites.