A Salt Lake man who locked his dogs in his car for several days while he hiked through Grand Teton National Park returned to his campsite Friday and was issued a citation for cruelty to animals.
Teton County authorities had launched a 35-person search for Geoffrey Eble, 34, on Thursday after they discovered the abandoned dogs, believing Eble might have met with ill-fate.However, Eble returned to his campsite at noon Friday and told authorities he thought he had left enough food for the dogs for a three-day trip, but the hike took a day longer than he expected.
One dog was discovered near death from dehydration and was put in the care of a veterinarian, according to Teton County Sheriff Roger Millward.
"He left a cooler open and there was food all over the inside of the car. One dog was almost deceased when we got it out of there," Millward said. "It definitely was a situation where he didn't have any care or concern to take proper care of the dogs."
Two teams of dogs and handlers and a helicopter had joined the search team Thursday.