A West Virginia woman is on 18 months probation after pleading guilty to animal cruelty in the death of her dog last July in western Maryland.
The yellow Labrador retriever had been left in a hot car in a Costco parking lot in Frederick, Md.
Sixty-seven-year-old Cathryn Washington of Fairmont, W.Va., was granted probation before judgment Thursday in Frederick County District Court. Prosecutors dropped a second animal-cruelty count and the judge suspended a $500 fine.
Police say that after Washington returned to her car and found the animal dead, she went back into the store to return 40 pounds of dog food and two dog beds.
Investigators say she explained to the clerk that the dog had died, prompting a store worker to call 911.
