Charges for locking dogs in hot car in Grand Bend dropped after trio donates money, does counseling

Three people charged after Lambton OPP said two distressed dogs were locked inside a vehicle in Grand Bend in June had the charges against them dropped last week after they donated money to charity and did community service hours.

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Police previously said they were told about the dogs in a locked vehicle in a Huron Street parking lot just after 6 pm on June 16. The temperature that Sunday afternoon was nearly 28 C at the time, according to the weather tracking website Weather Underground.

Officers dispatched to the parking lot were directed by concerned citizens to a locked vehicle with two dogs inside.

“Officers were informed that the dogs had been in the vehicle for a period of time and appeared to be in some distress,” police said at the time.

The officers “gained access” to the vehicle and took them to the nearby Lambton OPP detachment in Grand Bend, where they were cared for by officers. The owners of the dogs were eventually located and charged under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act, police said.

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Dhuv Jadav, 31, from Mississauga, Neel Jadav, 26, from Scarborough, and Harsh Suthar, 30, from Gloucester, Ont. – near Ottawa – were all charged with two counts of causing damage or injury to an animal by failing to provide adequate food, water, care or shelter, police said. They were all released with a short date in Sarnia in mid-August.

Following that initial appearance, the trio was all back in a virtual Sarnia courtroom last week, where Suthar said they were working with the local Crown attorney’s office on a diversion program. They all said they completed the program.

The prosecutor confirmed they paid a charitable donation and completed some community service hours, but she wasn’t sure how many. But a staffer from the John Howard Society confirmed they did all required counseling under their direct accountability program.

As a result, the prosecutor asked for all of the charges to be dropped, which justice of the peace Debra Isaac did.

“Thank you, gentlemen. You’re free to go,” Isaac said.

Lambton OPP said in June the PAWS Act and its regulations help ensure animals are protected and treated in a humane manner. Provincial police also usually send out reminders as the weather heats up each spring to ensure pets and small children aren’t left in hot vehicles.

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