ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A man was arrested in Escambia County on Friday after intentionally leaving his daughter's three dogs to die in a hot car, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said.
In an update posted to Facebook on Friday, Simmons announced the sheriff's office was looking for Felton Henderson, 79, who is facing animal cruelty charges.
A woman who was going out of town for a couple of days left her three dogs with her father to be cared for, Simmons said in the update.
"She left water, she left food, everything that would be needed to take care of these dogs," he said.
When the woman returned after a couple of days, she asked her father where her dogs were. Her father brought her to a blue Toyota Camry where he proceeded to open the doors and pull out three dead dogs, according to the sheriff's office.
The dogs reportedly sat in the car for several days in the heat and eventually died. During the times they were in the car, the temperature reached a high of 91 degrees.
"He put these dogs in this blue Toyota Camry knowing full well that they would not survive," Simmons said. "All three perished from the heat. You can imagine the suffering they went through."
Simmons addressed Henderson in the video.
"This is no way to treat an animal," the sheriff said. "They rely on you to give them the care and the concern, and you did none of that."
Henderson was arrested Friday and is currently being held in jail on a $45,000 bond as of Monday, according to online inmate records. He's been charged with animal cruelty, causing "cruel death, pain and suffering."