SIDNEY — Justin David Currier, 45, of Brookville, was arrested on May 10, 2023, on a charge of cruelty to animals – torture, when his dog was found deceased after being left in a hot car for several hours.

At 4:52 p.m. Officer Jim Jennings, of the Sidney Police Department, encountered Currier near the Bridges Community Center after responding to a call about a suspicious male. Currier stated he was having a panic attack and had to get out of his vehicle about two miles south of Sidney on 25A where someone stole his car. Jennings observed Currier was acting under the influence and confused. Currier continued walking, looking for his car.

A short time later officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of Court Street where Currier was laying in a ditch. At this point, Currier’s wife was contacted; she stated that Currier also had their dog with him. When the officer asked Currier where the dog was, he said that the dog got out of the car and took off when he got out because of his panic attack before the car was stolen.

At 7:34 p.m., someone called the police department that there was a Toyota Prius parked on Water Street at West Avenue, with the lights on. The caller advised that about 3 hours prior a white male had exited the vehicle and walked away. Upon arrival, the vehicle was discovered to belong to Currier’s wife, which Currier had been driving and said was stolen. The windows were up and the officer could see in the front passenger seat a dog lying there, deceased.

Currier was located and arrested. He said that the dog had gotten out when he had his panic attack and left the vehicle, but since he left a window open so the dog must have gotten back in.

On May 10, the high temperature in Sidney was 75 degrees. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the temperature inside a car can rise almost 30 degrees in 20 minutes and in an hour it can rise up to 50 degrees above the outside temperature. The AVMA advised to never leave a dog in the car alone when the temperature is below freezing or above 70 degrees, and if someone does need to briefly leave their pet in the car, it should be for no more than 5 minutes. Leaving a window cracked is not enough to keep a dog safe since even a comfortable 75 degrees outside can mean it is 120 degrees or even higher on the inside of a car.

Currier is currently in the Shelby County Jail on a $2,567 cash/surety bond set by the Sidney Municipal Court. He was arraigned in court on May 11.