Timothy Joe Colvin, 56, of Mississippi is charged with two counts of cruelty to animals. The dogs, mixed-breed terriers, were handed over to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, court records show.
A Jefferson County sheriff's sergeant was working at the Triumph Superbike Challenge on Sunday when track security officers notified him there was a green Ford F-250 parked next to the bathrooms that had two dogs inside and unattended. Workers told the sergeant they heard the dogs whining, looked inside the truck and spotted them on the floorboard.
The temperature outside was 89 degrees, and the estimated temperature inside the pickup was 130 degrees, according to court records. Both dogs looked distressed, were panting heavily, and appeared to be lethargic, the report said.
The doors to the truck were unlocked, so authorities removed the dogs and put them into an air conditioned patrol vehicle. The dogs also were given water.
The Humane Society was called to the scene, and authorities summoned Colvin to his truck. He told deputies he had checked out of his hotel room that morning and went to the track to sell lemonade. The dogs had been left in the car for six to seven hours. He said he had last checked on them 45 minutes prior to their removal from the truck.
Colvin was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 4:59 p.m. Sunday, and released at 5:29 p.m. after posting $3,000 bond. Authorities impounded his truck, trailer and all of his business equipment for evidence.
He will have a determination hearing about the return of his dogs.
"Thank goodness someone noticed this and summoned our sergeant over to take the proper action. The dogs are going to be just fine and the guy that left them in that condition has to answer for it. That's all good news,'' said sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian.
"It's really sad and hard to understand someone could or would subject a pet to that. It was brutally hot in that vehicle and getting worse by the minute I'm sure."
(AL.com - June 17, 2015)
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