Man charged with leaving dog in car

DENVER, July 16 (UPI) -- A man faces an animal cruelty charge in Denver for leaving his terrier in a hot car while his girlfriend waited to audition for "American Idol," police said.

Lynn Kimbrough, a spokeswoman for the district attorney, said Quincy Vanderbilt, 24, found the dog dead when he returned to the car at 2 p.m. Tuesday, The Denver Post reported Thursday. Vanderbilt was given a summons for a misdemeanor charge.

Vanderbilt left the dog shut in the car early in the morning after driving to Denver from North Dakota with his girlfriend, checking on it periodically, investigators said. The temperature in Denver hit 91 degrees that day.

The girlfriend had to wait in line for hours at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Temperatures in closed cars parked in the sun can be many degrees higher than the air temperature. Denver Animal Care and Control said pets can die within a few minutes.