Palm Springs man skips arraignment on animal cruelty charge in death of dog in unattended car

A Palm Springs man accused of leaving his dog inside a locked car for at least three hours without water or air conditioning, resulting in the canine’s death, failed to appear today for arraignment on felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

Brent White, 38, was arrested Feb. 5 in connection with the death of his dog Xander and faces a felony animal cruelty charge and a misdemeanor count of leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle. He was released Feb. 6 and instructed to return to court on today’s date.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini issued a warrant for White’s arrest after he failed to show up this morning at the Larson Justice Center.

According to police, bystanders spotted White’s dog at 2:40 p.m. Feb. 5 lying motionless inside the unattended vehicle parked in the 1800 block of Smoke Tree Lane. White later arrived and unlocked the vehicle for responding officers, but the animal was already dead of heat exhaustion.

The dog was taken to an emergency clinic, where it was determined that its body temperature was 104 degrees. The temperature outside was 70 degrees, but the car’s interior temperature was “well over 86 degrees,” police said.

White has no prior Riverside County felony convictions, according to court records.