HAMMOND, Ind. (WLS) — There is a court update on the video that went viral showing a dog in a trailer in Northwest Indiana amid frigid weather. In February, Indiana State Police opened a criminal investigation after seeing a video of a dog being transported in an open trailer.
The man who took the video says he spotted the dog while traveling on eastbound I-80/I-94 near Calumet Avenue in Hammond on Tuesday morning.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Man admits to putting dog in trailer on NW Indiana interstate in frigid weather, prosecutors say
Prosecutors say Erik McClinton admitted to putting the dog in the trailer, but says he put a blanket over the dog’s cage that blew off.
He added the dog, named Midnight, was outside the truck because there were puppies inside.
McClinton was facing a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.
In November, court documents showed McClinton received deferred prosecution in the case. Meaning, the State of Indiana agreed to withhold prosecution of the case for six months, at which point they’ll dismiss the charges if McClinton complies with each and every term of the agreement.
According to the agreement, he must pay court costs and fees and “relinquish all ownership rights or proprietary interests in and related to the canine (“Midnight”) confiscated during the course of this investigation.”
