Shorewood police investigation into dog’s death leads to arrest

A man was arrested in Shorewood and accused of leaving a dog inside a vehicle for two hours in hot temperatures, which likely caused the pet’s death.

Garland Norris, 52, of Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday was staying at the Econo Lodge when officers found he had left a dog inside his Chevrolet Tahoe, according to a statement provided by Shorewood Police Chief Philip Arnold.

The discovery was made when officers were conducting another investigation in the area, Arnold said.

The officers saw a dead dog “lying in a pool of urine while crated in the back of the vehicle,” which was not switched on, Arnold said. The outdoor temperature Tuesday peaked at 92 degrees, he said.

Norris was found by officers inside a room at the Econo Lodge, Arnold said.

“Norris eventually admitted to officers that he had left the dog in the vehicle while shopping for about two hours and found it dead when he returned to the car,” Arnold said.

Norris also said he was “going to try and find a veterinarian the next day to dispose of it,” Arnold said.

An animal protection services agency was called to the scene to recover the dog’s body for a forensic examination, Arnold said.

Norris was taken into custody on a charge of cruel treatment of an animal. He was given notice to appear in court Aug. 20 at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

Arnold said there was no booking photo available of Norris because he was released at the scene in compliance with the Pretrial Fairness Act, which is a provision of the SAFE-T Act.