Canton Woman Charged with Animal Cruelty in Puppy Hot Car Death

Tawana Cox, a 49-year-old woman from Canton, Ohio, was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty and falsification after leaving her six-to-eight-week-old puppy inside a hot car for over an hour while shopping at a thrift store on July 28. The temperature that day reached about 90 degrees, and police estimated that the car's interior could have reached up to 140 degrees, conditions which led to the puppy's death. Cox initially claimed the puppy was with her, hidden under her shirt, but surveillance footage contradicted this, showing she left the puppy unattended in the vehicle. Police observed Cox visibly upset after removing the pet carrier containing the deceased puppy from her car. She was released on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled for arraignment in Canton Municipal Court. This case highlights the dangers of leaving pets in hot vehicles and the legal consequences of animal neglect.