Couple pleads not guilty in bulldog’s heatstroke death

Two people arrested in connection with the death of a bulldog left in a sealed plastic crate this summer pleaded not guilty to animal abuse charges on Monday.

Isaac Laushaul Jr., 32, and Markeisha Foster, 30, were both indicted by a grand jury last week, each on one felony charge of cruelty to animals, court records show. The two were arrested in December and accused of leaving their pet — a bulldog named Reba — inside a sealed plastic container outside an east Las Vegas supermarket in July.

The dog was discovered after a passerby heard barking coming from the plastic bin and freed the dog, police said. A volunteer with an animal rescue group then took the dog to a local animal hospital, where it died of heatstroke.

Both Laushaul and Foster pleaded not guilty Monday during an arraignment hearing in front of District Judge Ronald Israel.

The dog was named Reba after it was found inside the tote. According to Laushaul’s arrest report, he had a history of leaving the dog, who he called Nike, outside over the summer with only a small bowl.

One neighbor told police that Laushaul “constantly yelled” at the dog for urinating in the apartment and would leave the dog tied up outside as punishment, according to the report. Neighbors offered to take the dog but Laushaul didn’t agree to give her up, police said.

Foster told police that on July 25, the day before the dog was found outside the supermarket, the bulldog was left outside and became ill. The couple took the dog to an animal hospital, Foster said, but found that it was closed, so they left the bulldog by the supermarket’s dumpster, according to the report.

If convicted, Laushaul and Foster face a maximum of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

After prosecutors filed charges against the couple this month, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson called for harsher penalties in animal cruelty cases. Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy, R-Henderson, submitted a bill draft request this month that will enact tougher penalties for animal cruelty if passed.

When the grand jury returned an indictment against the couple on Friday, District Judge Jerry Wiese ordered Laushaul to continue to be held in custody without bail, while Foster’s bail will remain at $50,000, court records show. They two remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Monday.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.