Woman arrested after witnesses say she threw puppy into sea

TYBEE ISLAND — A woman who witnesses say threw an injured puppy into the ocean has been arrested on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, police said.

Candy Selena Marban was taken into custody Tuesday on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, Tybee Island police said. She was arrested one day after they circulated a wanted poster which was shared more than 2,000 times in less than 24 hours on social media, police said.

Tybee Island police officers encountered Marban on Sept. 12 and retrieved the puppy from the beach, the agency said in a statement. She told officers her dog had been injured a week earlier, and she did not have the money to seek medical treatment.

Officers cited Marban with violating a city cruelty to animals ordinance and allowed her to go.

“The original call was that she was throwing the dog into the water,”tybee Island police Lt. Emory Randolph said. “Some witnesses were very upset about that.”

One of the dog’s legs was severely injured, said Randolph, adding that he was not certain exactly how the leg had been hurt.

“There was no attempt to obtain professional medical treatment,”he said.

Officers took the puppy in for emergency medical treatment in Savannah. After a veterinarian decided the puppy would have to be euthanized because its injuries were so severe, detectives secured a warrant for a more serious felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, police said.

It wasn’t known Wednesday whether Marban has an attorney who could be reached for comment.