East Alton man - David M. Malone.WOOD RIVER - A 26-year-old East Alton man - David M. Malone - faces an Aggravated Cruelty To Animals Charge for an incident that was discovered by Wood River Police after a call at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

The Wood River Police Department responded to the Hit-N-Run Food Stores Wednesday afternoon at 900 E. Edwardsville Road, Wood River. An employee of the store reported a dog was left inside a vehicle parked on the lot.

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Upon arrival, officers located Malone’s vehicle on the lot. A mix-breed dog was located unresponsive with labored breathing in the vehicle. Malone came out of the store and claimed ownership of the dog. Wood River Police Officer Younker and Officer Hawkins quickly loaded Malone, and the dog, into a police vehicle, and rushed the dog to an animal hospital.

Wood River Police said the dog died after arrival at the animal hospital.

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The investigation of the incident revealed Malone came to the store and left his vehicle running with the dog inside the vehicle. The windows on the vehicle were down approximately one inch. Malone was inside the store playing machines for approximately 3 hours. The car air conditioning had failed.

Wood River Police said the inside temperature of Malone's vehicle was measured to be 117 degrees by the Wood River Fire Department. Malone was taken to the Wood River City Jail and was held pending formal charges.

The warrant and criminal information were signed by the Honorable Judge Mengarelli. Bond was set at $20,000.

Wood River Police said as a reminder, it is never safe to leave children and pets unattended in any kind of weather, but especially not on days with heat warnings issued.

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