A Georgia man is charged with animal cruelty after the death of a dog that police said was made to ride in the rear of a moving truck.

Authorities said 50-year-old Jerry Mason of Savannah was arrested Monday in Cartersville.

Channel 2 Action News reported that Mason told police he was heading to Kentucky in a U-Haul truck when his dog became unruly while riding with him in the truck's cab, so he put the animal in the back with household items.

Police arrived to find a concerned citizen pouring water over the dog beside the truck. The animal, which Mason said had spent an hour in the back of the truck, died at a veterinary office where it was treated for possible heat stroke.

Mason was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty, authorities said. The man didn't immediately return a message left Tuesday on a phone listed in his name.

About the Author

Featured

Delta employees are under investigation because of content “related to the recent murder of activist Charlie Kirk” that “went well beyond healthy, respectful debate,” CEO Ed Bastian wrote in a companywide memo Friday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez