Sylvania Township, OH (7/20/25) – Authorities responded to a report of a dog left unattended in a vehicle at the Walmart parking lot during a 92-degree day. Upon arrival, officers discovered two crates in the backseat containing two cats and four kittens, one of which appeared deceased.
The vehicle’s driver, 46-year-old Dawn Wiard of Alpena, Michigan and affiliated with the Cherry Street Mission, claimed the dog was a service animal and that she had only briefly gone inside the store.
When officers asked Wiard to step outside, she assaulted one by striking him in the face and placing him in a headlock. Wiard was subsequently arrested and charged with assault on a police officer (a fourth-degree felony), seven counts of animal cruelty (second-degree misdemeanors), and resisting arrest (second-degree misdemeanor).
Wiard was booked into Lucas County Jail and arraigned Wednesday, with her bond set at $30,000 covering all nine charges.
