Social media is being credited in the effort to solve a case of alleged animal abandonment in Atchison County.

According to Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, the discovery of an abandoned dog caught the attention of concerned Facebook users, and that led to an investigation. "It was one of those investigations...started by our citizens on Facebook. I happened to run across it on the [Atchison] Humane Society Facebook page, and got to looking into it. One of our Deputies had been contacted about it," Laurie said.

The investigation led to someone with information about the dog's previous history, and that led authorities to the suspect. “We interviewed possibly a previous owner of the dog who told us who had had the dog, and who would have dumped the dog."

Arrested last week on a charge of cruelty to animals was 20-year-old Mercedes Giles, of Atchison.

Following her arrest, Laurie says she was released with a notice to appear in court on the charge.

The Facebook conversation about the dog began after it had been found on Sedgwick Road, in the area of 314th Road, on February 15.

Taken to the Atchison Humane Society after it was discovered, Laurie says at last check the animal remained in that organizations custody.