Local News in Brief : Man Charged After Dog Dies in Tool Chest

A Burbank man accused of locking a dog inside a metal tool chest after an argument with his wife has been charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals, authorities said Wednesday. The dog died, apparently of heat exhaustion.

David J. Baker, 28, is scheduled to be arraigned in Burbank Municipal Court on June 1, said Sgt. Don Goldberg. He said Baker also was charged Tuesday with a misdemeanor count of making a threatening telephone call to his wife on Monday, the day of the incident.

Goldberg said Baker had argued with his wife, Wendy, before putting the family dog, a 9-month-old Labrador mix, into a metal chest in the back yard. The couple left the house about 11 a.m. and returned four hours later to discover that the dog had died, Goldberg said.

Baker was arrested Monday afternoon and held at the Burbank Jail until he posted $5,000 bail Tuesday, Goldberg said. Fred DeLange, superintendent of the Burbank Animal Shelter, said the dog appeared to have died from heat exhaustion but said a necropsy was pending.