BORDEN, Ind. — Detroit native Kristin Gregory has always wanted to live on a farm. As a kid, she was constantly rescuing animals, and spending more time with her furry friends than people.
"My mom always said, 'You can have as many animals as you want when you have your own farm.' So, all my life I have been waiting to have my own farm,” Gregory said.
In 2012, she was transferred to work at the Ford Plant in Louisville, and that is when she began working for her dream. She saved every penny she had for five years and that is when her dreams became a reality.
Gregory moved out of Louisville and bought a small farm in Borden, Indiana. Then after getting settled in she bought her first farm animal - Dolly the donkey.
Dolly was a petting farm animal, looking to retire and Gregory knew the perfect place.
“I spent a lot of time bonding with her. The first month I had her, it was just me and her.”
For years, Dolly was well-known in Borden. She wasn’t a “normal” donkey. There are pictures of Dolly with children, goats, and even cats on her back. She was loved by many.
But one fateful night in September 2020, Dolly was killed.
"At first I didn't want to go out there. It is traumatic for me to lose a cat, so I didn’t want to go out there. I didn’t know,” Gregory said.
According to court documents, Indiana State Police investigated the shooting, and months later, confirmed Gregory's neighbor's gun matched the bullets used to kill Dolly.
Gregory's neighbor, Sharon Johns, was arrested and is now facing animal cruelty charges.
"It is believed to be that when the shot was fired it was aimed at a group of animals, not so much directed at a specific animal. It was just that this specific animal was shot," said Chief Deputy Scottie Maples.
That shot was caught on Gregory’s cameras. In the video, you can see the flash of the gun as it spooks the other animals. Evidence was a key part in this case. But Maples said cases like this don't usually have these results.
"I think it is unique because we were able to solve it. A lot of these are he said, she said, and the evidence is hard to obtain,” said Maples.
Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull has filed both felony and misdemeanor charges against Johns. He said the felony charge was filed due to evidence showing the animal suffered for several hours before it died.
Mull said if Johns is convicted he does intend to seek a jail sentence.
"She still deserves justice,” Gregory said. She suffered the way a person would. She had feelings. She was a part of my family. I lost a part of my family."
If you would like to donate to Gregory's GoFundMe, click here.
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