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A woman was arrested after leaving her pet squirrel in a hot car that reached temperatures over 100°F, according to Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control.

The owner of the "Sugar Glider" flying squirrel, Amanda Davis, has been charged with ill treatment of animals.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, Animal Care and Control responded to a call regarding an animal locked inside of a car at 302 Aiken Avenue. The Animal Care and Control officer was alerted to the animal being in the car around 1:15 p.m., and says that his office may have been notified as early as 12:00 p.m. that same day.

Police said Davis' roommate became concerned and called police after she saw Davis put the animal in her blue Honda Accord before leaving the house.

When officers arrived they found the a window cracked slightly and a cage covered in blankets in the backseat.

The temperature inside the car was 114°F at the time, according to Animal Care and Control. No food or water were left with the animal.


Authorities removed the squirrel from the car just after 3:00 p.m. Davis arrived on scene about five minutes after the animal was taken out of the car. She told officers she had put it in the car around 1:00 p.m. and left.

She was arrested and charged, and Animal Care and Control took custody of the animal, telling Davis she could pick it up at a later date.