An Eastham man faced animal cruelty and drug charges Wednesday after police allegedly found a Mason jar stuffed with marijuana when they rescued his dog, which was locked in a 100-degree car, Barnstable police said.
On Tuesday, officers spotted a golden retriever locked in a car in a Cape Cod Community College parking lot at 2:30 p.m., police said.
The unoccupied red 1996 Honda Civic was parked in the sun, prompting officers to check on the dog’s welfare.
The car had a partially open window, but no water for the dog.
The responding officer gave the apparently dehydrated dog water through the open window while officers worked to locate Peter M. Giblin, 25, the car’s owner and a Cape Cod Community College student, police said.
Officers found the temperature inside the Civic was 106 degrees.
After being unable to contact Giblin, the officers opened the door and took control of the dog.
At the same time, police said, they discovered a Mason jar with six bags of marijuana packaged for sale.
The dog, named Cooper, was taken to Barnstable Animal Control for follow-up. It was not clear how long Cooper was in the car.
Giblin returned to his vehicle at 3:40 p.m., and when questioned by officers about the situation, he became uncooperative, police said.
Giblin pleaded not guilty in Barnstable District Court Wednesday to a felony charge of cruelty to animals and possession of a Class D substance with intent to distribute.
Globe correspondent Haven Orecchio-Egresitz contributed. Lauren Dezenski can be reached at lauren.dezenski@
globe.com. Follow her on
Twitter @Lauren_Dez.