Ukiah woman charged with trying to sell fawn on Craigslist

The photo of an adorable fawn snuggled in a blanket is alluring and alarming at the same time. The Craigslist ad Tuesday offered it for sale for $300.

The unusual ad was listed just hours after a Ukiah woman reportedly found the fawn near Hopland. State Fish and Wildlife authorities were alerted and took the fawn into custody after posing as buyers. They said it’s rare to find wildlife listed for sale on social media.

“I can’t think of more than a handful of cases,” said Lt. Chris Stoots, a spokesman for Fish and Wildlife.

The woman told the officials who responded to the ad she thought the deer was orphaned and wanted to help it when she picked it up on Old River Road at ?2 a.m.

But Stoots said it’s common for mother deer to leave their babies alone, and usually fawns will be fine without people’s intrusion, which can result in the animal’s death. Wildlife officials since have taken the fawn to a wildlife rescue facility in Lake County, where it’s reported in good condition, he said.

The department will recommend the Mendocino County District Attorney charge the woman and her Sacramento-area boyfriend with unlawful possession of wildlife and attempted sale of wildlife, Stoots said.

The woman, Lacy Jean David, 28, of Ukiah, was arrested by Fish and Wildlife officials on an unrelated warrant for suspicion of failure to appear in connection with a prior case involving the use of controlled substances, according to the Mendocino County jail. She was released on bail later in the day.

Stoots declined to identify the boyfriend because he had not yet been charged. The District Attorney’s Office could not be reached late Tuesday afternoon for comment.