Aurora's Cherica Winston wasn't busted for posting the phrase "fuck this dog" on her Facebook page.
However, the item led directly to her arrest for animal cruelty.
Winston, who was known as "Juju LaRay" on Facebook, appears to have deleted the page in question. But former Facebook friend Travis Smith set into motion a police investigation that determined Winston had committed a crime against a pit bull puppy for which she was dog-sitting.
The social-media-centric details come courtesy of Smith and a report on Fox31 shared below.
As the station notes, Winston has had previous run-ins with the law, as witnessed by this booking photo.
Smith, for his part, became concerned when he saw her Facebook post about the dog.
Here's a larger look at the image, featuring her original item and several replies, as posted by Smith.
According to Smith, he messaged Winston after seeing the note, and her snappy response concerned him.
So did a photo of a BB gun he found on her page.
For these reasons, he notified the Aurora Police Department.
The APD sent officers to Winston's apartment....
...where they found the puppy in a small crate with no food and water. The dog smelled strongly of urine and feces.
There was no evidence that Winston had Tased the puppy or used the BB gun on it — but the puppy was taken to Aurora's animal shelter and she was cited for animal cruelty.
Afterward, Smith posted the following notes on his Facebook page:
Great news, the dog has been found and taken away from its abusive owner. We are currently working to get it out of the Aurora Shelter and into a great home. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who shared this post and helped us to locate the dog and soon punish the abusive owner!!A court date for Winston has been set for October 27. Look below to see the Fox31 piece.
I just wanted to personally say thank you for everyone that has gotten involved in helping us save the dog from my earlier post. The post has literally been shared 200 times in less than 8 hours and I have been contacted by people from as far away as the East Coast showing their support.
Okay, everyone, here's the latest update. Currently the dog is at the Aurora Shelter and it has been taken away from Laray Winston. We're working to get the dog released and into a safe home. Throughout the last 24 hrs we received dozens of leads and by getting them to the Aurora PD we were able to find the dog. I can't thank everyone enough who helped in locating her. This is one time where social media has proven to be a powerful tool for good. ?#?MakeanImpact? ?#?ChangetheWorld?
