Earlier, I told you about a woman who sparked a firestorm when she taped her dog’s mouth shut to stop him from barking. She posted a picture of her dog on Facebook–and was deservedly put through the wringer. Well, it turns out that earlier today, officials in Cary, North Carolina announced they had tracked down the woman and filed criminal charges against her.
On Monday night, police in Cary announced they had arrested Katherine Lemansky, alias Katie Brown, after learning that the now-infamous picture of her chocolate lab-mix, Brown, had actually been taken in the Triangle suburb. Lemansky’s Facebook profile labels her as being from South Daytona, Florida. Police initially thought that she might have moved to Avon, Connecticut.
However, according to Cary police, South Daytona officials got a tip she was actually in North Carolina. Lemansky’s family subsequently confirmed that Lemansky hadn’t lived in Florida since at least 2013. After Avon police confirmed that Lemansky didn’t live there, she was eventually tracked to Cary. Lemansky was questioned, and admitted that she’d taken the picture in Cary.
Lemansky was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals, which carries up to 150 days in jail and a fine that is as high as the judge feels is appropriate. Incredibly, though, Brown and her littermate are still with Lemansky for now. According to Cary police captain Randall Rhyne, animal control officers examined both dogs and found them “very well cared for.” Not only were their shots up to date, but they had been properly spayed and microchipped. Rhyne said that animal control found no evidence that Brown had been injured, “not even detectable hair loss.”
Looking at what North Carolina law says about animal cruelty, though, I don’t believe this is nearly enough. If a person “maliciously” commits an act of animal cruelty, it can be charged as a felony. Maybe it’s just me, but if you duct tape a dog’s mouth shut and plaster it on Facebook, doesn’t that qualify as malicious? Lemansky knew exactly what she was doing, as evidenced by this post on her wall:
This wasn’t just an act of negligence. This was intentional.
Lemansky is due to appear in court on December 14. Fortunately, this may not be the last word. Officials in both Connecticut and Florida are taking a good, hard look at Lemansky. She has a criminal record in both states, mostly for drug-related offenses. Most recently, she was arrested in 2012 for possession of a firearm and ammunition by an out-of-state felon. If she ever comes back to South Daytona, animal control officials there are authorized to confiscate Brown.
Lemansky says she only had the duct tape on Brown’s mouth for about a minute. That could potentially be the most expensive minute of her life.
