A North Carolina woman says she tried to do the right thing by rescuing a panting dog trapped inside a hot car, but instead of praise, she found herself facing the threat of arrest from the very police called to help.
North Carolina woman almost in cuffs for rescuing dog
Suzanne Vella, 36, came across the dog in distress outside a Wendy’s on June 7.
The dog, covered in white fur with black spots, was inside a parked car on an extremely hot day.
“I approached the vehicle to check to see if the vehicle was on, if there was AC on — there was not,” Vella told WCNC.
“I didn’t want to wait any longer and ended up pulling open the door handle. It was actually unlocked, and I called 911.”
At 2:18 p.m., Cornelius Police received the emergency call. Eight minutes later, Corporal Robert Russell had arrived at the Wendy’s lot to investigate.
Vella explained to Russell that she had seen the dog suffering in the heat for about ten minutes before getting involved.
The outdoor temperature had reached a sweltering 91 degrees Fahrenheit by 3 p.m.
Footage captured by Vella shows the visibly overheated animal drinking the water she had brought.
But things quickly took a surprising turn. Rather than taking issue with the dog owner, Officer Russell appeared to shift the blame to Vella for entering the vehicle.
According to Vella, Russell told her that because he hadn’t personally witnessed the dog left alone in the car, he couldn’t arrest the owner.
Under North Carolina law, an officer must observe the act of animal cruelty firsthand to make an immediate arrest.
Vella says she was shocked when the officer asked the dog’s owner if he wanted to press charges against her.
North Carolina woman grilled by officer
Their encounter, which Vella recorded, became tense. Russell questioned her motives and right to intervene.
“What right do you think you had to open someone’s door?” Russell asked.
“If there’s a dog on a 90-degree day locked in the car panting, I’m going to give it water,” Vella replied.
Russell responded, “I don’t understand what you don’t understand about this… just because you see a dog panting doesn’t mean he’s in distress.”
Vella countered, “It’s 90 degrees. I think a lot of people would disagree with you, too.”
Vella later said the officer’s reaction left her rattled.
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“You know, it was really upsetting,” she said. “The police officer got all of my information and gave me a lecture about it but said virtually nothing to the owner.”
“[Russell] was very visibly angry at me and was yelling at me, saying I had no right to open somebody else’s car door,” she added.
The backlash against the department was swift and widespread, particularly after it came to light that Russell serves as a K9 handler.
The Cornelius Police Department responded by launching dual investigations.
“We are conducting an investigation into the owner of the dog for the claim of animal cruelty. An internal investigation into our officer’s actions is underway,” Deputy Chief Jennifer Thompson stated.
“We are also reinforcing our training procedures to ensure that all personnel respond professionally, respectfully, and with empathy in every situation,” she noted.
Vella is now hoping that accountability follows for both the officer and the dog’s owner.
“I never thought in a million years this would have been the direction that it went,” she said. “This isn’t about attention, it’s about accountability.”
“I’m hoping that that investigation kind of leads to some type of reprimanding, or potentially even finding a new and more loving home for the dog.”
South Carolina man shoots police K9
In a separate case involving a police K9, a South Carolina man will face over a decade in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon during a deadly confrontation.
James Robert Peterson, 38, from Prosperity, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to the federal firearm charge after a June 11, 2024, shootout that left a police dog dead.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this federal conviction follows an earlier state case where Peterson admitted guilt to three counts of attempted murder, burglary, resisting arrest with a deadly weapon, and cruelty to a police animal.
He was sentenced to 33 years in prison for those charges.
Authorities said Peterson was armed with a firearm while law enforcement tried to arrest him on an active felony warrant.
During the standoff, Peterson used the gun to kill K9 Officer Coba, who had been assisting in the operation.
Coba died in the line of duty while supporting the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office in their effort to bring Peterson into custody. Peterson was also shot but survived.
With previous felony convictions, Peterson was legally barred from possessing firearms. The new sentence adds over 12 years to his incarceration.
