Lady Lake, United States – A woman was arrested on an animal cruelty charge after a puppy was rescued from a hot vehicle parked at a shopping center along U.S. Highway 27/441.

Lady Lake police responded at about 2:25 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, to the Five Below parking lot after a witness reported a dog trapped inside a parked car with the windows only slightly cracked. Temperatures at the time were above 92 degrees with hot, humid, and sunny conditions.

Officers Jeffrey Burns and Michael Tisdell found a white Mercury Grand Marquis parked in direct sunlight with no shade. Inside, they discovered a black puppy in distress, panting heavily, crying, and scratching at the window, with its tongue extended.

Police reported that the engine was off and the interior of the vehicle was extremely hot. Unable to access the locks through the window opening, officers used a baton to trigger the door mechanism and free the puppy.

Once removed from the vehicle, the puppy was given water and placed inside an air-conditioned patrol car for cooling and care.

Officers had been at the scene for about 10 minutes when the vehicle’s owner returned. The woman, identified as 26-year-old Yeneese Mystic Morejon, told police she had only been inside the store for “like 30 seconds” and said the line was long.

However, a witness stated the dog may have been inside the car for 45 minutes to an hour based on when she arrived and later observed the animal in distress.

Authorities said Morejon was on felony probation through the Florida Department of Correction at the time of the incident. She was taken into custody and transported to the Lake County Jail without incident.

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