A woman was arrested earlier this week by Auburn Police on charges of felony animal cruelty in the wake of a puppy belonging to her being found dead by an apartment roommate.

The woman, whose name is Taylor Colbert, is accused of leaving the husky puppy in a cage while she left for many days over winter break, leaving the animal to starve to death.

RELATED: Auburn Police arrest woman who left her puppy to starve, die over Christmas break

Word of Colbert’s alleged cruelty spread quickly among students and Auburn residents last week, and local news outlets reported on the incident, which many have called ‘sickening.’ No charges were immediately brought, however, earlier this week, Auburn Police were able to make the arrest.

Now, an attorney for Colbert is claiming that social media outrage led directly to her prosecution.

Richard White of the Law Offices of Vickers & White in Montgomery is arguing that Colbert was initially charged with a misdemeanor, but police upgraded the charge to a rare felony of aggravated cruelty to animals and said the threats and comments across social media may have led to the upgraded charges.

“They want her to kill herself,” White told WTVM News 9. “They want the family to kill her. They want the family dead. There’s been threats to the family. I think the United States military might get involved, because, you know, her family being military.”

White filed a petition for Colbert to have a preliminary hearing within the next 30 days.