Lewiston police plan to summon to court a woman whose alleged abandonment of a dog led to the animal’s death when it was hit by a car.

Police plan to issue the woman a court summons in the next couple of days, said Lt. Adam Higgins.

Police are working with the Androscoggin District Attorney’s Office to determine the appropriate charges, Higgins said.

The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society had asked the public to help identify the person who abandoned a dog in the shelter’s parking lot Jan. 25. The shelter released a video of the incident taken by a security camera. The woman can be seen ushering the dog out of a minivan then driving away, with the dog running after the van.

The dog, a Labrador retriever-husky mix named Abby, was dropped off Monday and hit and killed by a car Thursday.

The video was shared on Facebook and by local media, with more than 100,000 people viewing it and 50,000 people commenting on the story, many of them condemning the woman.

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The woman spoke to a Portland radio station Friday – anonymously – to explain her actions, saying the dog’s original owner wouldn’t take it back after it had bitten one of the woman’s young children.

According to Maine law, abandonment of an animal that results in the animal’s death is a Class C crime, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Police would release no additional details about the case saying it remains under investigation.

The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society has established the Abby fund. Contributions go toward providing medical care to stray and abandoned animals. The fund has raised about $4,000, according to Zachary Black, the shelter’s operations manager.

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