A Plymouth County judge is keeping felony animal cruelty charges alive against a Bridgewater mother and daughter, rejecting a bid to toss the case after prosecutors say the women's two dogs died in a sweltering car last summer. The alleged July 16, 2025 incident involved two medium-sized dogs left in a parked vehicle for more than 90 minutes, with firefighters later recording the interior temperature at roughly 130 degrees. With the latest ruling, pretrial deadlines stay in place and the case continues on a path toward a possible jury trial.
Judge Jeffrey Clifford denied the motion to dismiss at a March 6, 2026 hearing, according to The Enterprise. Lisa Smith’s attorney, Joshua Weinberger, argued in court that the deaths were “clearly just a tragic accident,” while a lawyer for Rachel Smith said his client “had no knowledge the dogs were inside,” the outlet reported. Prosecutors, at least for now, are not treating it as an unfortunate mistake.
Prosecutors' account of the July incident
According to a release from the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors say Lisa Smith put the dogs into a vehicle after they had been “causing a ruckus” and then left the home with her daughter to run errands. The animals were allegedly left inside another car parked alongside for more than 90 minutes near a condo on Heather Lane. Officers later found the two medium-sized dogs dead, and Bridgewater firefighters measured the interior of the vehicle at at least 130 degrees. Animal control officers transported the dogs for a necropsy.
Court history and conditions
The Smiths were arraigned in October 2025, pleaded not guilty and were released on personal recognizance, with conditions that include mental health evaluations and no unsupervised contact with animals, as reported by The Boston Globe. Prosecutors had pushed for bail, but judges instead imposed a set of restrictions and required that any pets be surrendered to animal control while the case is pending.
Legal stakes
The Commonwealth has charged the women with cruelty to animals along with a confinement count tied to allegedly leaving animals in dangerous conditions inside a vehicle. Per the Massachusetts General Court, M.G.L. c.272 §77 sets out criminal penalties for animal cruelty, while M.G.L. c.140 §174F addresses confinement of animals in vehicles and authorizes authorities to remove animals in peril. Together, those statutes give prosecutors multiple charging tools and potential remedies in hot-car cases.
What’s next
With the motion to dismiss now off the table, both sides are gearing up for pretrial work. The Smiths are scheduled for a jury election on May 5, 2026, according to The Enterprise. Defense attorneys filed their dismissal motion in January, and Judge Clifford’s ruling keeps the felony counts active on the docket.
Community response
“This is a heartbreaking and entirely preventable tragedy,” Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte said in a department statement, urging owners not to leave animals in vehicles, according to the Bridgewater Police Department. The case has kicked up local discussion about pet safety in extreme heat and about how courts weigh criminal liability against claims of accidental oversight when animals die in hot cars.
