Dog left in hot car leads to McLean County conviction

Posted on October 20, 2017
Jodi Laumeier
Jodi Laumeier of Havana was sentenced to 18 months court supervision and 30 hours of public service. (Photo courtesy McLean County Jail)

By Eric Stock

NORMAL – Leaving a dog in a hot car can be a death sentence for your pet and a woman was sentenced in McLean County this week for doing just that.

In this case, the nine-week old Bluetick-lab mix was ok after being left inside a car for a half-hour on an 85 degree day in August while the owner, 43-year-old Jodi Laumeier of Havana, visited a doctor’s office in the 2200 block of Fort Jesse Road in Normal.

Normal Assistant Police Chief Eric Klingele said the puppy was panting and cool to the touch for a short time after the incident.

He said this case should be a lesson to all pet owners.

“It gets very hot in a very short period of time, much hotter than the outside temperature, ” Klingele said. “What may be a short period of time to the owner of the car can be a fatal amount of time for the child or the pet.”

Laumeier was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of confining an animal in a vehicle. She was sentenced to 18 months court supervision and ordered to perform 30 hours of public service.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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