A Dog’s Day in Court
A woman pleaded no contest Wednesday to misdemeanor animal cruelty for locking up her Lhasa apso, Maxine, in her Mercedes-Benz while shopping in West Hollywood on a hot day last month.
The little white dog struggled in the arms of the bailiff to run to Cynthia Biniewicz as she entered her plea in Beverly Hills Municipal Court.
“Don’t worry, Maxine,” Judge Judith Stein intoned before ordering Biniewicz back to court Friday for sentencing.
On Sept. 24, Sheriff’s Deputy Kristin Aggas had to break the car’s window to rescue the dog, which had blacked out in the back seat.
Maxine has been in the custody of the Sheriff’s Department ever since, but lawyers on both sides believe the two will be reunited after the sentencing.
Outside the courtroom, Biniewicz began to cry when reporters tried to question her.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” she said, when asked why she left the dog inside the car. “I just want my dog back. I just want my Maxine back.”
The maximum sentence is a year in jail and $1,000 fine.
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