A Virginia woman accused of walking away from her dog at a JetBlue ticket counter in Las Vegas is now wanted by the court. Las Vegas justice officials issued a bench warrant Tuesday after she allegedly left her goldendoodle tied to a counter at Harry Reid International Airport in February. Court records state the warrant came after she failed to show up for an arraignment on misdemeanor charges linked to the incident. The dog, quickly nicknamed "Jet Blue," was taken into custody by animal services and has since been adopted by a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer.
Justice of the Peace Diana Sullivan signed the bench warrant for 26-year-old Germiran Denae-Nicole Bryson after she missed the hearing, and the court set a $5,000 cash-or-surety condition for her release, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Court filings note that Bryson did not appear for a scheduled arraignment on misdemeanor counts tied to the February airport stop, and they list no defense attorney on record for her.
What Happened at Harry Reid
On Feb. 2, officers were called to Terminal 3 after airline staff found a 2-year-old goldendoodle tied to a metal baggage sizer at the JetBlue ticket counter, according to the Los Angeles Times. Airline workers told police the owner had been denied a boarding pass because she had not completed the required service-animal paperwork. Surveillance video released by police shows the woman looping the dog’s leash around the fixture, then walking away. Officers later found her at a departure gate and say she became hostile when they tried to detain her.
Charges and Court Action
Bryson was arrested at the airport and booked on misdemeanor counts that included animal abandonment and resisting a public officer, with police saying she also gave false statements during the encounter, according to Fox News. Investigators say she told a JetBlue employee to "call animal control" and later claimed the dog had a tracking device. Prosecutors presented the case in Justice Court, and the bench warrant followed when Bryson missed her arraignment.
Jet Blue's New Home
The dog, nicknamed Jet Blue by rescuers, spent a mandatory 10-day hold with Animal Protective Services before Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas took custody and opened adoption applications. According to the Los Angeles Times, the rescue received thousands of applications and ultimately chose Officer Skeeter Black, one of the officers who helped secure the dog at the airport, as the permanent adopter. LVMPD publicly thanked the community and reminded residents that abandoning animals can carry criminal consequences.
Legal Status
The bench warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Bryson if she does not surrender, and it sets a $5,000 total cash-or-surety requirement to clear the warrant, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Court notes from the initial incident also state that she identified herself with a different last name when first questioned, a detail prosecutors flagged early in the investigation.
