Maine woman who allegedly abandoned dog in viral video faces animal cruelty charge
Police have filed a criminal complaint against the Maine woman who allegedly abandoned a dog outside of an animal shelter in a video that went viral after the dog was later struck by a car and killed.
Sarah Vye, 21, of Mexico, Maine, is facing a charge of cruelty to animals, The Portland Press Herald reported. If found guilty, Vye could spend 364 days in jail and see a $2,000 fine.
Security cameras caught a person abandoning the dog outside of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in late January. The Lewiston shelter posted the video to its Facebook page and the footage soon went viral — nearly a month later, it’s been viewed more than 350,000 times.
As hundreds of negative comments began to appear on the video, Vye anonymously took to local radio station 107.5 Frank FM to share her side of the story, saying the dog, which had previously belonged to her ex-boyfriend’s ex-wife, had bit her son and nipped at her daughter. She said she tried to give the dog back to its original owner and called police, who told her she couldn’t surrender the dog, as she wasn’t the owner. Seeing no other option, she said she was forced to abandon it outside of the shelter.
“I understand that I did wrong, and I regret it—that I did wrong and that she got hit—but like I said before, my kids are everything to me,’’ she told the station.
Others had a different story. Workers at the shelter said the woman arrived minutes after they had closed, but workers were still in the building and lights were left on. Police also said her story wasn’t accurate, and that they responded to her report and advised her to take the dog to a shelter.
“My intentions weren’t to just drop her off, but I made a stupid mistake,’’ Vye told the Press Herald when questioned about the charges against her.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com