MEXICO — Police Chief Roy Hodsdon is reminding people not to leave their pets in closed cars, where temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees in hot weather.
The department recently responded to the Wal-Mart parking lot for a report of a dog left in a vehicle with the windows up, he said.
“With this hot weather, I just ask that people keep their dogs home,” the chief said. “The inside of your vehicle can be twice as hot as it is outside, so if it’s 80 degrees out, it can be 120 inside.”
Hodsdon said he and his officers have never gone to the extreme of breaking a window out of a vehicle to save a pet, but they can per Maine law.
“We’ve never done that, because we go to the extreme of calling everyone we can, going into the store to find them and announcing it over the intercom,” he said. “We don’t want to (break windows). However, there would be an exigent circumstance if you’ve exhausted all those avenues and you can see that the animal is dying or if it were a child instead. The law does say we can do that.”
Among the 100 complaints recently received by the department were:
* At 11:33 a.m. July 9, a Carleton Avenue resident reported a criminal mischief complaint that sometime during the overnight, someone sliced two tires on their vehicle. Hodsdon said the damage was estimated at $250, which is the cost to replace the tires. He said police have suspects in the case.
* At 1:37 p.m. July 6, a Peru resident reported that someone had used her credit card at a Main Street business in Mexico without the owner’s permission. “We do have a suspect and we’re watching him and waiting for some surveillance and evidence to come in to move forward” on the case, Hodsdon said. The suspect used the card twice, paying $20 charges each time.
* At 6:38 p.m. July 5, a Holman Avenue resident reported that while she was away, someone burglarized her home and stole an undisclosed amount of cash. Police have a suspect.
* At 2:30 p.m. July 5, a Main Street resident reported that while he was away camping, someone forcibly entered his home, but nothing appeared to be missing.
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