After being told she couldn’t take her dog on a plane, a Florida woman drowned the pet in an airport restroom, police allege.
The incident occurred December 16 at Orlando International Airport, where authorities responded after a report of a dead animal in the women’s bathroom “before security checkpoints,” Orlando Police said in a statement.
An investigation led police to issue an arrest warrant for Alison Agatha Lawrence.
The 57-year-old was reportedly attempting to board a flight but lacked the required paperwork to allow a dog on board, sources told the WFTV. She then discarded the dog’s remains in the trash after killing it in the restroom, police say. Airport cleaning staff made the disturbing discovery, the outlet reported.
Her neighbors believed she owned a white poodle.
“Someone that would do such things has got to be disturbed upstairs,” one neighbor told WFTV.
Lawrence’s sister didn’t know anything about the allegations, nor her sister’s whereabouts, she told the outlet. She added that Lawrence didn’t have a phone.
The Independent has reached out to Orland Police for more information.
Lawrence was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Clermont and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony.
Five hours after being booked into Lake County Jail, Lawrence was released on $5,000 bond, jail records show.
After hearing about the incident, State Sen. Tom Leek, who recently filed an animal cruelty offenses bill, told his colleagues on the Senate floor: “This is yet another horrible example of why I filed [the bill] related to animal cruelty, which strengthens criminal penalties for those who do harm to innocent animals.”
He said, according to ClickOrlando, “It is my commitment to have this good bill pass the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives and sent to Governor Ron DeSantis for his signature.”
