TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa man was arrested early Monday morning after neighbors called police with concerns about two dogs locked in a car.

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to an apartment complex at around 2 a.m. on Oct. 5.

A neighbor called after seeing the dogs in distress and getting worried about how long they’d been in there.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

HCSO said deputies learned the dogs were first seen inside the car at 3 p.m. on Sunday, roughly 11 hours before police were called.

About an hour after deputies arrived, 67-year-old Kenneth Warren came outside and confirmed it was his car.

He was arrested and charged with two counts of cruelty to animals, HCSO said.

“Leaving these dogs locked in a hot car for hours wasn’t a lapse in judgment; it was gross negligence,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “Our Florida weather can turn a vehicle into a death trap quickly, and we are grateful for the neighbor who called us to help these defenseless animals.”

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