CARY, N.C. — The woman accused of posting a photo of a dog with its mouth wrapped in duct tape on Facebook was arrested in North Carolina.
On Friday, Katharine Lemansky, who uses the name “Katie Brown” on Facebook posted the picture of her chocolate lab-mix with the caption that said “This is what happens when you don’t shut up!!!”
The woman’s post was shared hundreds of thousands of times before the post was taken off the Facebook page. Police departments and news stations were inundated with phone calls about the post.
On Monday, Lemansky was charged with cruelty to animals by the Cary Police Department after she told police the incident took place in North Carolina.
“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,” Cary Police Capt. Randall Rhyne said in a release on Monday.
Police said there are no additional charges pending against Lemansky.
“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,” Rhyne said.
Cary police said they worked with law enforcement officials across two states. On Saturday, police in Avon, Conn., said they went to the address that she had lived at but she reportedly hasn’t lived there for some time.
“The Avon Police Department Animal Control Office is actively investigating this case and we want to assure you that we take all cases of animal abuse very seriously,” the Avon Police Department said in a statement Monday.
Torrington, Conn., police said the incident didn’t happen in town and that she doesn’t live there, and police in South Daytona, Conn., said the woman hasn’t lived in town for more than a year.
