Richard Hill from Parma, Ohio was walking through a Walmart parking lot on Saturday afternoon when he noticed a crowd gathered around a car with two dogs inside. Richard grabbed a hammer and broke the window to rescue the dogs.
When police arrived and reviewed some security footage, it turned out the dogs had only been in the car for eight minutes. The high in Parma that day was 78, so it was warm, but not considered dangerous yet.
Police cited Richard for criminal damage.
Ohio law supposed to give people immunity for breaking a car window to rescue a child or an animal, but based on the temperature and how long the dogs had been in the car, the cops felt they didn’t need rescuing.
The situation could have been dangerous if the dogs were in the car for longer. Even though it was only in the 70s, it can still get up into the 90s and 100s inside of a car quickly.
In an interview with WKYC, Richard says, quote, “This situation right here, is what deters people from actually stepping up and doing the right thing.”
