North Carolina Woman Accused Of Being Extremely Drunk And Dragging Puppy Across Parking Lot Until It Died

A woman in North Carolina got extremely and dangerously drunk and drove around the parking lot of a motel with a puppy attached to her bumper, dragging it to its death, police said.

Gloria Mitchell, 45, was in the parking lot of a Knights Inn on July 5 at around 9:30 p.m. when she crashed into a U-Haul, according to WBTV in Charlotte. That's when police were called, who said they heard a lot of screaming during the 911 call, according to a police report.

Mitchell allegedly got behind the wheel of her pickup truck with a little, dark haired puppy tied to the bumper. Witnesses at the scene, and hotel surveillance, said she kept driving with the animal attached to her car even though people around her tried to get her to stop. The puppy tried to keep up, police said, but ultimately couldn't and died.

The puppy was found dead in front of the lobby of the motel, after the leash broke off. Mitchell allegedly kept driving around recklessly and at a high speed and crashed into a U-Haul. She hit it so hard it rammed into another truck, police said, crinkling the bed of the truck and pushing it through the cab.

Police found Mitchell walking away from the area and said she smelled like alcohol "from several feet away," according to a police report cited by the News & Observer in Raleigh. She was "belligerent and hostile," the report said. Mitchell had a blood alcohol level of .347, which is more than four times the legal limit in South Carolina. She also had methadone and marijuana in her system, police said.

She had a deep cut on her leg and allegedly verbally threatened officers and emergency workers trying to help and get her to a hospital. One witness said Mitchell couldn't walk and was stumbling around, according to WBTV.

Mitchell was charged with felony cruelty to animals, driving under the influence and careless and reckless driving, police said.

[Photo: Johnston County Sheriff's Office]