A passenger is alleged to have drowned her dog at an airport after being told she couldn’t board a plane with the pet which was later found in a dustbin.
Alison Agatha Lawrence, 57, of Clermont, Florida, was reportedly at Orlando International Airport when she was not allowed to get a flight as she didn’t have the paperwork for the dog. It is claimed that during the incident last December 16 she decided to still catch the plane and in act of extreme cruelty, she killed the dog.
Authorities have said she drowned the poodle in a toilet at the airport and then put the dead animal in a rubbish bin.
The dead dog was found by a member of staff at the airport and Orlando Police were called out with a warrant for the arrest of Lawrence later made. She was later arrested on aggravated cruelty charges at her home last Tuesday.
Orlando Police did not say what kind of animal it was that died and no other information was released. But five hours after being booked into Lake County Jail, Lawrence was released on $5,000 bail, jail records show.
It has not been revealed why Lawrence was travelling with the dog and the reason for her extreme actions. Her neighbours have said that she had a white poodle and would be seen walking locally with the dog.
They said that neither the dog or Lawrence had been seen recently with one local resident reportedly claiming: “Someone that would do such things has got to be disturbed upstairs.”
Neighbours Roy and Janet Fernandes reporteldy said they watched as police arrived at Lawrence’s home to make the arrest. “I kept looking out, wondering what was going on,” Janet Fernandes said.
“Then they left, then they came back. He said he heard a commotion going on outside. That must have been when they arrested her.” Meanwhile, Lawrence’s sister didn’t know anything about the allegations, nor her sister’s whereabouts, she told WFTV. She added that Lawrence didn’t have a phone.
After hearing about the incident, State Senator Tom Leek, who recently filed an animal cruelty offenses bill, said on the Senate floor: “This is yet another horrible example of why I filed [the bill] related to animal cruelty, which strengthens criminal penalties for those who do harm to innocent animals.”
He also said, according to ClickOrlando: “It is my commitment to have this good bill pass the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives and sent to Governor Ron DeSantis for his signature.”