Woman charged with cruelty after photo of dog with taped up mouth goes viral
A woman who posted a picture of her chocolate lab-mix dog with its mouth taped shut on her social media page, sparking public outrage, is charged with animal cruelty, authorities said.
Katharine F. Lemansky, 45, was charged after admitting the incident took place in Cary North Carolina, US, the city said in a statement Monday.
She has been allowed to keep her pets.
The Facebook page where the picture appeared last Friday lists the woman's name as Katie Brown and carries a South Daytona, Florida, address. A Cary spokesman said family members indicated Lemansky hadn't lived there in more than a year.
"This is what happens when you don't shut up!" Lemanksy wrote alongside a picture of her dog with silver tape around its mouth. The post attracted more than 200,000 shares and widespread condemnation from social media users.
She has since removed the photo of her dog, Brown, with his snout taped up but subsequent social media posts are still receiving plenty of attention.
In one Lemansky appears to suggest she is being harassed offline.
“I dont know what a--hole did thr bulls--- of posting my truck on line (sic).... When i figure it out you are done!,” she wrote on November 28.That post was shared more than 3500 times.
A day earlier she angered more social media users by declaring: ‘Dont panic everyone it was only for a minute but hasnt barked since... POINT MADE!”
More than 10,000 people shared that post.
Cary Police Captain Randall Rhyne said there were no signs of injury to the dog's muzzle and no detectable hair loss.
“Taping the dog’s muzzle shut was a terrible decision on Ms. Lemansky’s part, and charging her with animal cruelty under North Carolina law was the right thing to do,” he said in a statement.
“At the same time, it’s important to also note that our animal control officers who physically examined both Brown and her littermate found the dogs to be very well cared for, which is why we did not and could not remove them from the owner.
“The dogs are current on their shots, spayed, and microchipped. They are clean and well nourished and appear to be comfortable in their surroundings. And there were no signs of injury to Brown’s muzzle, not even detectable hair loss.”
Lemansky faces a fine and a possible jail sentence of up to 150 days.
Police say Lemansky has ties to Connecticut, where police in Avon investigated an address associated with her family after receiving numerous calls about the photo.
News break – December 2
