Woman Arrested In N. Carolina For Allegedly Taping Dog's Muzzle Shut

elated · ‎06-09-2010

The woman who allegedly posted a picture of a dog with its mouth taped shut last Friday, leading to a flood of calls to two Connecticut police departments, was charged Monday in North Carolina, local police said.

On Friday morning, a woman going by the name of Katie Brown posted a picture of the dog and a caption that read: "This is what happens when you dont shut up!!!" On Monday, police said that 45,year-old Katharine F. Lemansky was behind the post and was in Cary, N.C.

"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 in a statement. Lemansky was charged with cruelty to animals after she told them that the incident took place in town.

The photo was shared hundreds of thousands of times after it was posted. The profile listed her town of residence as South Daytona, Fla., but she has ties to Connecticut, including family in Avon. Her Facebook page states that she attended Central Connecticut State University.

Police in Avon received a slew of calls pushing for an investigation into Brown. Officers went to a home believed to be associated with the Brown family but determined that the incident took place elsewhere, police said.

"We made contact with the occupant of the home, who verified that the person of interest and the dog both reside in Florida," Avon police Chief Mark Rinaldo said Monday. "We have notified Florida authorities."

Police in Cary said they were contacted by police from South Daytona, Fla., who contacted Avon police before determining Lemansky maybe be in North Carolina.

Torrington police also reported receiving calls related to the post from 24 states, along with Canada and the United Kingdom. Lemansky reported used to live in Torrington as well. They previously said they had been working with police in Florida.

Rhyne said the dog was examined by animal control officers and was found to be clean and well-nourished. Authorities did not find any injuries to the dog's muzzle.

Lemansky was scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 14. Police said she faces up to 150 days in jail.

birkin baby · ‎01-20-2011

What a piece of sh#@.....I would be happy to personally tape HER mouth shut.

NC Bandwagon · ‎05-03-2014

If she did do this, then she must never do it again. If a dog is barking like crazy, then they're probably bored and need some toys to play with or they want to go out and play or they might have to use the bathroom or they're lonely.

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marden · ‎06-12-2011

I can't even say what I feel about this woman. This dog should definitely be taken away from her. There are so many people out there that will give the dog a good home with tons of love and make sure this never happens again. I hope she gets fined and thrown in jail.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

I hope the dog gets taken away from her and she goes to jail. That picture was everywhere, and I found it so hard to look at it. It's just sickening that someone could do that to their dog. I'm so glad they arrested her.

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PamfromCT · ‎05-22-2014

Unfortunately, because it was determined this poor dog suffered "no permanent damage," I heard the dog was being returned to its owner. The news in CT has been covering this, and last night it was said NC made the decision to return this dog to Madam Mean. What the heck? Of course, now I wonder if she'll get anything but maybe a fine and slap on the wrist.

Frankie_Dee · ‎10-05-2012

I don't understand how a grown woman could be so *stupid* to do something like this. Did she really think she was teaching the dog a lesson? She must have, because her follow-up post was something like, "Well, it worked, didn't it?" As bad as animal cruelty is, I hope she doesn't have any human children.