Woman charged with animal cruelty for taping dog’s mouth

CARY, N.C. (AP) – 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, the city said in a statement Monday.

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.

Cary Police Capt. Randall Rhyne said there were no signs of injury to the dog’s muzzle and no 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.