A woman in Cape Coral is accused of pepper spraying multiple dogs at the Rotary Park Dog Park, leaving the community shocked.
Cape Coral Police reported that 67-year-old Charlene Tedesco sprayed dogs that approached her, including one in the face.
The incident prompted a dog owner to call 911. WINK News reporter Cristina Pop spoke with visitors at the park who expressed disbelief over the situation.
Gary Waldner, a regular visitor to the park, said, “Dogs, sometimes they bark, and barking to them is how they communicate. It’s not necessarily just because a dog barks doesn’t mean that they’re aggressive.”
“That’s his words. He uses his words,” Waldner added.
The Cape Coral Police Department stated that Tedesco was outside the park fence when the pepper spraying occurred on a Saturday morning. Lisa Greenberg, CCPD Public Information Officer, said, “She never was actually physically within the park, and the dogs were never outside of the park. There is a five-foot fence that surrounds the entirety of the park.”
Scott Mahoney, another park visitor, found out about the incident from the dog’s owner. “I actually found out from the guy whose dog got sprayed,” Mahoney said.
“He said they were hanging out, and his dog was just yipping, running around crazy and banging into stuff. He knew something was up, and they hosed his eyes out. I guess they realized it was pepper spray,” Mahoney explained.
Dog owner Gale Orlowski, who visits the park daily, was taken aback by the incident. “There’s got to be something drastically wrong with her, and I know she’s in jail right now, and quite frankly, if she did that to Lily, she would be in hospital. That’s where she would be,” Orlowski said.
Police confirmed that there was no justification for using the spray due to the fence. Tedesco was charged with one count of animal cruelty and is banned from returning to the park.
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