Woman who duct taped dog's mouth shut in September convicted
A North Carolina woman who apparently posted photos showing her dog's mouth duct taped shut was found guilty of animal cruelty Thursday.
Kimberly Ann Howell, 25, was sentenced to 18 months probation as well as community service, WBTV reports. The photos appeared on the Rowan County woman's Facebook page in September.
It was the first of two such incidents in that state in just the past three months. 45-year-old Katharine F. Lemansky of Cary was also charged with animal cruelty after admitting she posted a picture of her chocolate lab-mix dog with its mouth taped shut on her social media page in late-November.
Howell claimed her mixed breed dog was not hurt, and that she removed the tape after snapping the photos. A caption next to one picture read, "I told her I was going to teach her not to bite the baby again even play biting," according to WBTV. The judge described it as a "callous act."
In the second incident, Lemansky faces a fine and a possible jail sentence of up to 150 days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.