KINGSTON TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— Police served a search warrant in Luzerne County Friday in connection with the death of two dogs that were found inside a truck outside a local VFW this past Sunday.
While it's unclear exactly how the dogs died, the record setting temperatures would have made the inside of the truck extremely dangerous.
28/22's Avery Nape was at the home Friday afternoon.
Jerry Rynkiewicz is being accused of leaving his dogs, two golden retrievers, inside his truck while he was drinking at the VFW in Exeter.
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Police were alerted of the incident on Thursday.
Police served the warrant Friday at 715 Carverton Road in Kingston Township.
They say no one answered the door, but when they went to the back of the house, they noticed disturbed earth, a strong smell of decomposition, and maggots covering an unknown piece of material.
The original caller tells police they heard the two dogs died inside a locked truck parked behind the VFW.
According to police, when Rynkiewicz was alerted the dogs were in distress, he told a cook at the VFW he thought the car was running.
A witness later describes seeing him on his knees next to the truck with an unresponsive dog on the ground and another in the same condition on the back seat.
That witness tells police he tried performing CPR on the dog, but was unsuccessful.
At that point, Rynkiewicz apparently told the witness "He's got to help them" and left.
"If you must travel with your animal, I would not leave them in the vehicle unattended. I would always leave a responsible individual with them because that at least provides the opportunity for an immediate outlet if the animal should get overheated," said Todd Hevner, executive director, SPCA of Luzerne County.
Now, witnesses tell police Rynkiewicz brings his dogs to the VFW regularly, leaving them in the truck with the rear window open so they could get into the bed of the truck.
They say this was never an issue and the dogs were extremely friendly and well behaved.
It is unclear why that window was not left open on Sunday.
