Baby injured in attack by family dog. Mom and boyfriend arrested for saying a stray did it.

A mom from Russell Springs and her boyfriend have been arrested after Kentucky State Police say they lied about their dog’s attack on the woman’s baby, which left the child with serious injuries.

Instead, state police said the couple claimed a stray dog was responsible for hurting the 10-month-old.

The child was taken to the Russell County Hospital Tuesday and then transferred by helicopter to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, state police said in a news release.

The hospital and the Russell Springs Police Department were told the baby had been attacked by “an unknown stray dog,” state police said, which prompted first responders in Russell County to go out searching — unsuccessfully — for a stray animal.

State police said they got a call Friday from someone in Green County who was concerned for “the safety of his children,” according to the release.

State police said they then went to a home on Bluebird Drive in Russell Springs, where they talked with Emily McKinney, the mother of the 10-month-old, and her boyfriend, Joe Johnson.

“As the investigation progressed, Troopers determined the dog that had attacked the child actually belonged to Ms. McKinney and Mr. Johnson and was not a stray,” the release stated. “Mr. Johnson had concealed the location of the couple’s dog after the incident causing local first responders to use resources searching for a stray dog that did not exist.”

State police said McKinney, 27, was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal abuse of a child age 12 or under and endangering the welfare of a minor.

Johnson, 30, was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Both are also facing a charge of making a false report which generates an emergency response.

Trooper Jonathan Houk said the dog was taken into the custody of animal control officers.