A flying squirrel was left in a hot car. A Rock Hill woman was charged, police say

A Rock Hill woman was charged with leaving an animal in a hot car Tuesday, but the pet was not a cat or a dog.

It was a pet flying squirrel, police said.

Amanda Davis, 25, was charged with ill treatment of an animal after she left the squirrel in a cage inside a vehicle on Aiken Avenue Extension for at least an hour, according to a Rock Hill Police Department report.

The interior temperature of the vehicle reached 114 degrees when the squirrel, described as a "Sugar Glider" species, was taken out of the car by animal control officers, according to the report.

Police were called about 2:30 p.m. to assist animal control officers who were already investigating, the incident report stated.

The squirrel was found by animal control in a cage without food or water and was under a blanket, police said. The squirrel climbed to the top of the cage when the blanket was taken off, officers said.

The squirrel was taken into the custody of York County Animal Control on Tuesday, police said. Afterward it was released to a family member, said Trish Startup, York County spokesperson.

Officers said Davis told police she left the squirrel in the vehicle around 1 p.m., the report stated. Officer determined she had "inflicted harm upon the animal," and charged her, the report states.

According to AccuWeather, temperatures May 1 were above normal, reaching 81 degrees.

Andrew Dys: 803-329-4065, @AndrewDysHerald

This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 1:40 PM with the headline "A flying squirrel was left in a hot car. A Rock Hill woman was charged, police say."