Florida police have confirmed that Katie Brown is being investigated for animal cruelty after she used duct tape on her dog’s mouth in order to get the canine to shut up. The South Daytona police were flooded with calls about the incident, but it turns out that Brown is in transit between states due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
[UPDATE] Police have caught the so-called Katie Brown in North Carolina , but the authorities say they can’t remove the dogs from her home.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , Katie Brown’s dog received this unusual form of punishment after the dog kept on barking. The original dog photo explained the justification for this action by saying, “This is what happens when you don’t shut up.”
Friends of the dog owner asked Brown to “assure everyone you did not do this,” but Brown says she will not deny what she did.
“I cant lie. [I] did it for sixty seconds. It was time out,” Brown explained. “Dont panic everyone it was only for a minute but hasn’t barked since… POINT MADE!!!”
Ever since the Florida woman duct taped her dog’s mouth shut, friends of Brown said they were being attacked by others on Facebook, so they unfriended her in order to avoid the controversy. Some people went so far as to post online photos of Brown’s truck in order to track her down, which angered the woman.
But some of Brown’s friends defended the woman’s actions.
“People need to calm the h*** down its a f****** joke those dogs are beyond well taken care of,” Jordan Souza wrote. “Its not animal cruelty to put some tape on he mug for a min both those dogs have everything. Animal cruelty is all you stupid b****** dressing your animals up like retards there dogs not f******* dress up dolls.”
Animal cruelty charges have serious consequences. A North Charleston man was charged and arrested on a $50,000 bond after his dog, named Caitlyn, was found with her mouth duct taped shut. The 2015 Florida statutes state that animal crueltycarries a fine of $5,000, although if Brown has ever been convicted on similar grounds, she could spend time in prison.
“A person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this subsection shall be required to pay a minimum mandatory fine of $5,000 and serve a minimum mandatory period of incarceration of 6 months. In addition, the person shall be released only upon expiration of sentence, is not eligible for parole, control release, or any form of early release, and must serve 100 percent of the court-imposed sentence. Any plea of nolo contendere shall be considered a conviction for purposes of this subsection.”
According to the Orlando Sentinel , Lt. Daniel Dietrich of the South Daytona police said they were overwhelmed by the number of calls. Their email server went down and even their phones are having issues. They are asking people to stop notifying them as they continue the investigation.
“Police will be contacting this person once she returns to our city,” police posted on the City’s Facebook page . “Rest assured that a full investigation will be done and appropriate action will be taken. Again, thank you for the outpouring of concern and sharing of information.”
The police also visited the woman’s Florida residence and spoke to Brown’s son.
“He said the dogs are in good health and cared for,” Dietrich said.
It is possible Brown is currently located in Connecticut, since the woman’s family confirmed that she had moved out of Florida about a year ago. Due to this information, people began calling authorities in Connecticut, as well.
“It has amazed us at how quickly this story is spreading and how many people are aware of it,” said Jon Nowinski, Director of Operations at Connecticut Emergency Animal Response Service (EARS). “It’s great to know there are so many who care about the welfare of animals in situations like these. It’s important people know their voices are heard and make a difference.”
[Image via Facebook]