The Army Veteran Who Says He Broke a Car Window to Save a Dog Inside Has Had the Charges Against Him Dropped

Oconee County, Ga. - Michael Hammons said when he heard a dog was in distress, he jumped into action. The tiny, Pomeranian-mix was left inside a hot car, with no water, in an Athens shopping center.

Hammons said he grabbed the foot rest of his wife's wheelchair and smashed the windows of the car to get the dog out.

When the dog's owner came out of the store, Hammons said she was irate. "She said you broke my window, and I said I did. She says why would you do that? I said to save your dog." said Hammons.

Oconee County authorities said the owner of the car insisted on pressing charges against Hammons. Chief Deputy Lee Weems, said he understands why Hammons did what he did.

"We didn't want to charge him, but he told us he broke the windows and when you have a victim there saying she wants him charged, we had no other choice," said Chief Weems.

 Monday, District Attorney Kenneth W. Mauldin filed a motion dismissing the charges stating that "persecution of this case is not warranted."

Hammons served in Desert Storm. His wife, Saundra, said he battles PTSD and is always the one to come to the rescue in the face of danger.

"He has seen so much, and been through so much, his thing is he's got to save him. 

Michael says I have to save lives because I couldn't save everyone else over there," said Saundra Hammons.

Hammons said despite the arrest and the likelihood he will have to pay for the windows he smashed, he said there's no doubt he'd do it again.

Hammons said "I knew there'd be consequences, but it didn't matter. Glass, they make new glass every day, but they could never replace that dog."The dog's owner was issued a citation from animal control. The citation was for proper care.

PETA announced Wednesday Hammons will be honored with a Compassionate Action Award.

"Every summer, PETA receives dozens of calls about dogs left in hot cars for whom help came too late to save their lives," says PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien. "Rather than be arrested, this man should be applauded for deciding not to stand idly by, but for acting in the best interests of the victim."

There is now a fundraising website for Hammons. Some supporters are calling for the charges to be dropped.

But the Oconee County Sheriff's Office said Hammons not only broke one window on the car, but two. And, while they understand the emotional aspect of what happened, Hammons broke the law.

You can read the initial story here: Veteran Breaks CarWindow To Save Dog, Owner Has Him Arrested: What Are Your Thoughts?

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Veteran Breaks Car Window To Save Dog, Owner Has Him Arrested: What Are Your Thoughts?

Athens, Georgia – A man who saved a dog from a hot car wasn't rewarded for his action. Instead, the move landed him behind bars.

"I heard someone say there was a dog in distress in a hot car," said Michael Hammons, a Desert Storm veteran.

Diane Byard said she and a group of shoppers noticed the dog in the Mustang and were waiting on police before Hammons came.

"He says we can't let this dog die, and he starts smashing the windows."

Hammons used his wife's wheelchair leg to smash the window, freeing the dog.

"I've got PTSD, and I've seen enough death and destruction," Hammons said. "And I didn't want anything else to happen if I could prevent it."

Witnesses say when the owner of the car came out of the store, she was furious, and demanded deputies take action.

"We would not have made those charges on our own," said Oconee County Chief Deputy Lee Weems. "The deputies on scene say the owner of the car and of the dog was very insistent that he be charged with criminal trespassing."

The dog's owner told police she had only been gone five minutes.

"It wasn't just five minutes like the lady stated, it was a lot longer," Byard said. "I personally felt the heat in the car; I saw the dog panting. This dog was in distress."

The dog's owner could not be reached for comment Monday.

"If it is 80 degrees outside, within 30 minutes, it will be 114 degrees inside a vehicle, even with the windows cracked," Byard said.

The owner was cited for leaving the dog in the hot car. But without surveillance video, deputies say it is hard to tell how long the dog was actually left in the car.

Georgia state law does allow an individual to break a window to save a child in a hot or cold car, but not a pet. That is something that animal advocates say they are working to change.

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