Jeffrey Hazen, age 38 of Clearwater, was arrested by officers from the Clearwater Police Department on charges of felony animal cruelty. The incident occurred on Monday, December 30, 2019.
Hazen, who recently moved from Georgia but told officers he has been living out of his car, left his dog and cat in the car when he reported for work Monday afternoon at a local hospital.
He had driven from Georgia to Clearwater with the animals and went straight to work. He said he left his car running and air conditioning on and locked the doors when he began his shift at 2:30 p.m. High temperatures in the area Monday were in the middle and upper 70s along with high humidity.
When Hazen went to check on the animals at about 7:30 p.m., he found the car was no longer running. His dog, a 2-year-old mixed breed named Biscuit, was dead inside the vehicle. He went back to work and did not report the dog’s death to police or animal control. A hospital security worker called police.
After police arrived on scene, they summoned Pinellas County Animal Control workers, who found the cat was severely dehydrated. Hazen was booked in to the Pinellas County Jail, where he remains this morning on $5,000 bond.