Man rescues dog from hot car, gets arrested for smashing window

ATHENS, Ga. -- A Georgia man who saved a dog from a hot Mustang has been arrested for smashing a car window to free the animal.

Multiple news outlets report that Michael Hammons of Athens was charged with criminal trespassing after freeing a small Pomeranian mix in distress from a hot car outside a store. Witnesses say that while a group of shoppers waited for police to arrive to free the dog, the Army veteran smashed the window.

Deputies say the car's owner insisted Hammons be arrested. Deputies did not identify the woman. She was cited for leaving the dog in the hot car.

Georgia state law allows an individual to break a window to save a child in distress but not a pet. Animal advocates say they are working to change the law.