Police arrest woman for animal cruelty in dog heatstroke case
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
CLEARLAKE Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department has arrested a woman for animal cruelty after she left her dog in the heat without shelter or water, with the animal so sick as a result that it had to be euthanized.
Champagne Delsie Leubner, 24, was arrested on Friday, police reported.
The investigation into the case began on July 23. On that day, Clearlake Animal Control Officer John Moretz was dispatched at about 2:30 p.m. to a call regarding a dog that was tied out in direct sun with no water.
When Moretz arrived at the scene, police said he was pointed in the direction of the dog in a backyard tied to a stationary object, completely entangled in its cable, no access to water and directly in the sun.
Weather records for July 23 show that temperatures hovered in the low to mid 90s.
Seeing the condition the dog was in, suffering severe heatstroke, Moretz entered the backyard to free the dog and rush it to a veterinary office, police said.
However, due to the severity of the heatstroke – police said the dog’s body temperature was so high that it was unreadable by a thermometer – and the fact that the dog was completely unresponsive, it was decided to humanely euthanize the dog based on the veterinarian’s recommendation.
Based on pictures posted online, the dog was large and white, with black markings on its face. It was similar in looks to an American bulldog or Great Dane mix.
Police said Moretz's subsequent investigation led to a warrant for the arrest of Leubner being issued by the Lake County District Attorney's Office.
On Friday, Clearlake Police Officer Shane Audiss spotted Leubner at the Mobil gas station on Lakeshore Drive and she was taken into custody.
Leubner was booked into the Lake County Jail on Friday evening, with bail set at $35,000, according to her booking sheet, which also lists her as unemployed.
She is tentatively scheduled to be arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Monday, based on jail records.
Jail booking records show Leubner has previous arrests, in 2017 for possession of drugs and paraphernalia and in 2018 on a bench warrant.
Police and Animal Control officials reminded city residents that with temperatures now regularly topping the 100-degree mark, “It is imperative that you are taking every necessary precaution to keep your animals and yourself safe from the heat.”