YORK, Pa. — A York woman has been charged with animal cruelty after the York City Police Department used tips from the community to help identify her as the person seen abusing a dog in a video.
Police said they began investigating last week when a concerned citizen contacted them to report they had seen a woman abusing a dog on the 400 block of Salem Avenue in the city.
Videos of the alleged abuse were also circulating on social media, according to police.
In the videos, the woman is seen swinging the dog by its leash, causing it great distress, according to police. The small, brown dog was swung off the ground several times, so that it was supported only by its neck, police said.
Investigators reviewed the video on Facebook and found additional video showing the incident from surveillance cameras in the area, according to police.
The dog is seen cowering in apparent fear during and after the woman's alleged actions, according to police.
The police department shared a still image of the woman on its Facebook page on May 11 and asked the community for assistance in identifying her.
Tips from the community rolled in, and on May 12, police were able to identify the woman as Tammy Hobel, 43, of the 600 block of West King Street.
Hobel was charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty/torture to animals and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals after investigators consulted with the York County District Attorney's Office, the police department said on its Facebook page.
She was arraigned on the charges and released on $5,000 bail, according to court records.
The dog was taken from Hobel "and is safely in our custody," the police department said in its Facebook post.
"Thank you for every call, every tip, every share, and every person that helped us find this person and hold them accountable," the police department said.
