A North Carolina woman is facing animal cruelty charges after she posted a photo showing her dog with its mouth taped shut with duct tape.
Police in Cary, North Carolina confirmed in a press release Monday that Katharine F. Lemansky, 45, has been charged with one count of cruelty to animals after the photo, posted to her Facebook page, created a firestorm of controversy.
“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,” said Cary police Captain Randall Rhyne.
Lemansky, who listed her name on Facebook as “Katie Brown” and who listed her address as South Daytona, Florida, caused an uproar on social media last Friday after she posted the photo of her chocolate lab.
“This is what happens when you dont (sic) shut up!!!” the photo’s caption read.
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The image quickly went viral, being shared nearly 400,000 times in 48 hours according to NBC News, as people decried what they viewed as a case of animal abuse. Police in South Daytona say they were inundated with calls from people concerned for the dog’s well being.
WNCN News reports that seven additional 911 operators were called in to work that weekend just to deal with the deluge of calls relating to the photo.
A subsequent post from Lemansky attempted to explain that the photo of the taped up pooch wasn’t as serious as it appeared to be.
“Don’t panic everyone it was only for a minute but hasnt barked since…POINT MADE!!! (sic),” the post said.
Responding to the influx of calls police in South Dayton said on their own Facebook page they were able to determine that Lemansky was not at her residence in the Florida community, which they said was found vacant and is “currently under code enforcement action.”
Police were eventually able to track her down to North Carolina, believed to be a stop for Lemansky on a trip from her new residence in Connecticut back to South Daytona.
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And despite the charges and the public outcry the photo caused, police have not removed the dog, named Brown, from Lemansky’s care and believe the duct tape was a one-off incident.
“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,” Rhyne said.
“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.”
Cary Police tell Global News that Lemansky is due in Wake County District court on December 14th.
If convicted, she could face a fine and up to 150 days in jail.
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