Woman accused of abandoning vision-impaired dog on interstate ramp

TUCSON, Ariz. — An Arizona woman is accused of abandoning her elderly, vision-impaired dog on an interstate ramp last month, authorities said.

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Karen Black, 62, of Phoenix, was charged with cruelty to animals, according to a news release from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the sheriff’s office, the dog was found walking down an exit ramp on Interstate 10 and Skyline Road in Benson, KOLD-TV reported.

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and his wife, Nickie, secured the shaken animal in their vehicle, according to the television station.

An officer with the sheriff’s office animal control division took custody of the dog and determined that it was microchipped, with the last registered owner living in Maricopa County, according to the news release. Officers were unsuccessful in their attempts to contact the owner, the sheriff’s office said.

On Wednesday, Dannels and Sgt. Ray McNeely attended a community event in Phoenix and then located Black at her home in the city, KOLD reported.

Black allegedly claimed that she was never in Cochise County, but then changed her story and said she left the dog on the side of the road, according to the television station.

The dog will be kept at an animal shelter until Black appears in court. She is expected to have a court date later this month, KOLD reported.