Cops: Drunk hit-and-run suspect abused dog

Not every drunken hit-and-run arrest ends with animal cruelty charges. But that was the case for one Maricopa driver who cops found passed out behind the steering wheel with a bottle of whiskey and an overheated dog in the car. 

Maricopa police said 28-year-old Jacob D. Guerrero resisted arrest last Friday evening after committing a string of other crimes, according to a probable cause statement obtained by InMaricopa. 

Cops responded to a hit-and-run near North John Wayne Parkway and West Smith-Enke Road where a driver said Guerrero crashed into him, tried to steal his car keys and then ran away. 

About 40 minutes later, police found Guerrero slumped over the steering wheel of a car near North Vargas Drive in Rancho El Dorado. 

Cops said Guerrero was sweating profusely when he fell out of the car. They said he had watery and bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. 

There was a dog trapped inside the hot car, according to the probable cause statement. 

Guerrero allegedly resisted arrest even after they handcuffed him. 

Cops found a half-empty bottle of whiskey inside the car. They noticed the air wasn’t on and believed the dog was overheating because it was panting. 

Guerrero was transported to the Maricopa Police Department where he refused chemical tests and reportedly said he “would not make it easy to draw his blood,” police said. 

When they served him a warrant for his blood, Guerrero allegedly fought officers as they tried to put him in a restraint chair. 

Blood test results have not yet been released. 

Guerrero was booked into Pinal County jail on a half-dozen charges — aggravated assault with a vehicle, resisting arrest, endangerment, criminal damage, DUI and animal cruelty. 

Guerrero faces nearly 17 years in prison. 

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