Crystal Houk's dog died from heatstroke while she spent 90 minutes in Walmart

A Florida woman faces six years behind bars following a conviction for animal cruelty after the dog she left in a closed car died from heatstroke while the woman shopped at a Walmart store.

Walmart employees had observed the dog in distress and moved to act, but they couldn’t save the animal’s life.

On Aug. 22, 2019, a day when the high temperature in Pensacola hit 89 degrees, the workers saw the car parked outside their store in Escambia County with the engine running. Inside the closed vehicle, “the dog was showing signs of overheating,” says a statement obtained by PEOPLE from the office of State Attorney Bill Eddins.

The employees “immediately opened the doors to circulate air and contacted authorities,” according to the statement.

Their efforts were too late. The dog stopped breathing and died.

An animal cruelty officer arrived and conducted an investigation that revealed the dog had an internal temperature of 109.9 and succumbed to heatstroke.

Further investigation revealed the dog’s owner, 36-year-old Crystal Houk, of Milton, had left the dog in the vehicle for an hour and 32 minutes while she shopped.

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In an effort to cool the animal, Houk “had left the car running with a piece of pipe pressing down on the gas pedal in hopes of making her faulty air conditioning work, despite knowing of its mechanical problems,” says the statement from the state attorney.

On March 12 a jury convicted Houk of one count of third-degree felony aggravated animal cruelty, and one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

The first charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in state prison. The second charge is punishable by up to one year in county jail.

An attorney for Houk was not identified in the state attorney’s statement.

She will be sentenced for her crimes on April 29.