- Nebraska, USA -
~ Update: March 16, 2022
24-years-old JANELLE CHRISTINE WINNERS (pictured below) has been generously gifted with just 18 months probation after pleading no contest to felony animal cruelty.
Some of you may remember that WINNERS, of Fremont, was arrested in September 2021, after Fremont Police removed from WINNERS’ home a 1-year-old black female Labrador mix named Maya. The VOICELESS VICTIM was found emaciated, lethargic and covered in urine and fecal matter. She had been locked in her kennel without food for weeks.
Fremont Police Officer Kelli Brown said Maya was “a bag of bones.” She rushed the furbaby to Urgent Pet Care in Omaha and ten days later the Nebraska Humane Society stepped in to provide further care.
Thankfully, Maya was not euthanized because Officer Brown and her supervisors decided to try to save her.
Six months later Maya was adopted by Emily Cheloha, a veterinarian assistant.
Ms. Cheloha said about Maya: “She’s honestly one of the happiest dogs I’ve ever met. You would never guess she came from where she did. She’s loving life and just the happiest dog ever.”
Although WINNERS was arrested on a class IV Felony punishable by 2 years imprisonment and/or $10,000 or both and could have faced pet ownership restriction, Dodge County District Judge Geoffrey Hall did not restrict her ownership of pets in his sentencing order!
Source:
~ Original story:
On Thursday, September 23, the Fremont Police Department arrested 24-years-old JANELLE CHRISTINE WINNERS (pictured below) on a felony animal cruelty charge.
Fremont Tribune reports that the arrest follows an investigation that began on September 11, after Fremont Police Community Service Officers removed a 1-year-old black Labrador mix from WINNERS’ home.
Fremont Police tells me that the furbaby is a female and her name is Maya.
Maya was found emaciated, lethargic and covered in urine and fecal matter.
Maya is now in the care of the Nebraska Humane Society and is recovering.
According to a GoFundMe organized by Cindy Doerr, “Maya weighed just 15 pounds when she was rescued by the Fremont Police Department on September 11th 2021. Emaciated, weak, and covered in urine and feces, unable to walk, move or even lift her head, Maya barely acknowledged her rescuers. No one knew if she could be saved. But this little girl has been a fighter. With life and hope slowly filling her frail little body through the use of a feeding tube and IV fluids, Maya has gained 5 pounds since her rescue, her energy increases each day, and she finally took her first steps on September 22nd 2021.”
Fremont Police explained to me in an email that WINNERS was arrested on a class IV Felony punishable by 2 years imprisonment and/or $10,000 or both.
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.