Katie Brown’s dog has been found, but despite the outrage over the dog’s duct tape photo, authorities say they can’t rescue the chocolate Labrador by taking the dog away from its owner. The police say the woman was charged with animal cruelty, but it is likely she will only be found guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
It also turns out that “Katie Brown” is a Facebook alias used by the woman, but public records revealed that she is known by both Katharine Lemansky or Katharine Plati. Authorities from both Florida and Connecticut tried in vain to track her down, but the police finally caught up with her in Cary, North Carolina.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , Katharine Lemansky has a prior criminal record, having been convicted of second-degree breach of peace in Connecticut after being arrested in May of 2015. But what really got her in trouble with the world was when she posted a Facebook photo of her dog’s mouth duct taped shut . The caption explained, “This is what happens when you don’t shut up.”
The dog’s duct tape photo quickly went viral afterwards and so many people were calling the South Daytona police that their email servers went down and they had to bring in extra staff to handle the sudden load. When Lemansky’s friends asked her to explain herself, she only defended her actions.
“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!!!”
The offending photo stayed up for days until it was deleted on Sunday. By Monday, the Katie Brown Facebook accounthad also been deleted, and South Daytona authorities said Lemansky’s house in Florida had been vacated by her son.
“Because Lemansky owns property in both Florida and Connecticut, it is difficult to determine where she is actually living at this time,” they said on the city’s Facebook page. “We continue to keep in contact with Connecticut authorities. The local property in South Daytona appears vacant and is currently under code enforcement action.”
Police had requested that Lemansky’s family and friends urge her to bring the dog into the nearest police station so that the well-being of the animal could be determined. Authorities tried tracking her down to Avon, Connecticut, where she maintained a second residence, but when officers visited the home they determined the alleged instance of animal cruelty did not occur in Avon.
South Daytona police officers eventually tracked Lemansky to Cary, North Carolina after they spoke to her on the phone. The Florida police then contacted the local Cary police.
“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.
Cary police had Katharine Lemansky charged with one count of Class 1 Misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals after she admitted the Katie Brown photo was taken within North Carolina. Based upon local state laws, she may be fined and possibly spend up to 150 days in jail.
Unfortunately, Rhyne said they could not rescue any of the animals located at the home since they were well cared for.
“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 police captain explained, according to the Town Of Cary website. “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.”
Katharine Lemasnky’s court appearance will be on December 14, 2015. No additional charges are pending at this time.
[Image via Facebook]