ROANOKE, Va. – The case against two Roanoke County residents charged after authorities said a dog died after being left in a parked car in Roanoke last summer, was dismissed.
In court Monday, James Lipscomb and Ashleigh Hutton, both charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty, were found not guilty.
As we’ve previously reported, the two were arrested after two dogs were left in a parked vehicle in the 100 block of Luck Avenue SW, leaving one of them dead in June 2023.
When officers got to the scene, they said they found the two dogs inside a parked vehicle – one that was alert, and one that appeared to be unresponsive.
We’re told the officers immediately began working to open the locked car doors to treat the dogs.
An officer was able to make entry into the vehicle when the reported owners of the dog and the vehicle got to the scene, RPD said.
Authorities said additional officers were sent to their residence and seized two more of their dogs. We’re told RPD Animal Wardens then filed a petition for custody on all the remaining animals.