Charges Pending: V

This period of reporting covers March 1, 2015 through July 31, 2015, during which there were at least 9 fatal pit bull attacks. 

The legal trends for this reporting period appear to indicate an increased number of individuals bringing civil suits following a pit bull attack.

In many of the cases indicated below, including those with profound medical and economic consequences or involving the death of a companion animal, the attacking pit bull was returned to the safety and comfort of its home.

The following list includes only a few of the more notable recent legal cases involving pit bull attacks during this period. Click on any image to enlarge.

* * * * *

Mauled boy's family wants charges filed in case (KC, MO)
Dog previously attacked someone in Lee's Summit, police say
   July 28, 2015; KMBC.com

Jackson County prosecutors file felony charges against owners of Greenwood, Mo. dog
   July 26, 2015; KSHB

Susan Cottrell

Ohio woman charged in death of step-grandson killed by dog
   July 23, 2015; Morning Journal

Pit bull allegedly attacks neighbor
   July 22, 2015; Cook County Record

Owner faces charges after Pit Bull attack
   July 17, 2015; KOAT 7 ABC Albuquerque

Dog mauling victim blames city, company for attack
July 10, 2015; KVUE (Kyle TX)

Two dog owners in Kyle will soon face felony charges after their four dogs nearly killed a neighbor. A KVUE Defenders investigation uncovered animal control and others knew the dogs posed a danger months before the attack, but the pets remained with the owners.

Deputies release name of 6-year-old boy attacked, killed by pit bullI
CANINE HOMICIDE
   July 9, 2015; WYFF 4

The investigation revealed the pit bull was adopted from the Asheville Humane Society about three weeks before the attack. . . Deputies say based on that information, no charges will be filed.

Charges to be filed after woman attacked by 4 dogs
   July 9, 2015; KVUE, Kyle TX

Pitbull Owner Charged
   July 8, 2015; Tyler Star News (Texas)
According to police reports the two Pitbulls have been documented attacking people and other animals on five separate occasions.

Monmouth College grad charged for allegedly stomping puppy to death
   June 30, 2015; WQAD

Illinois man accused of abandoning pit bull as it fatally attacks poodle
   June 24, 2015; Fond du Lac Reporter

Man claims permanent disability after being attacked by couple’s pitbull
   June 24, 2015; Louisiana Record
A couple is being sued by a man who claims he was permanently disabled after being attacked by their pit bull . . . . The defendant is accused of violation of state law, causing injury and damage, negligently owning a pit bull, allowing the plaintiff into their yard where their dog had access, allowing pit bull to attack plaintiff, failing and refusing to properly secure the pitt-bull and failing to warn of the aggressive nature of the dog. An unspecified amount in damages is sought for physical pain, mental anguish, medical treatment, permanent disability, lost income and loss of earning capacity.

Owner of pit bull that attacked Veneta woman and dog is fined $606
   June 19, 2015; The Register-Guard

OKC Animal Welfare Officers Threatened During Investigation Into Dog Fight Video
    June 15, 2015; News 9 (Oklahoma City)
According to the report, charges are pending.

Longview woman's pit bulls attacked 4 people
   May 30, 2015; Longview News Journal

Sondra Rene’ Kroll

Man indicted in Tuscaloosa pit bull attack
   May 28, 2015; WVTM

$100 million 'symbolic' judgment entered in dog attack case
   May 19, 2015; Houston Chronicle

Owner in dog-mauling death gets 4 years
   May 18, 2015; Stockton Record

Wright found guilty of child endangerment causing death
   May 14, 2015; Newton Daily News

Syracuse man facing up to 25 years in prison for ordering pit bull attack
   May 8, 2015; Syracuse.com

Pair Of Families Seek Justice After Dog Maims Boy, Kills Pet
   May 4, 2015; CBS LA
Lawsuit filed against owner of pit bull that mauled 2-year old boy
   May 5, 2015; KABC TV Eyewitness News LA
  The family of a 2-year-old boy who allegedly had his nose bitten off by a pit bull has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the dog's owner. . . . A few weeks ago the pit bull went on the attack again. This time, it killed a poodle named Sarge who was on a walk with his owner in Lake Arrowhead.

Poodle killed by pit bull in Lake Worth
   April 29, 2015; CBS 12
   Investigators decided not to impound the dog and gave the owner a ticket for improper confinement of a dog.

Pit bull owner cited after attack on goats
   April 29, 2015; Nogales International

Judge Orders Pit Bulls Held in Vicious Dog Case to be Returned
   April 27, 2015; North Kingston Patch

Man . . . sentenced for "Involuntary Homicide by Pit Bull"
April 22, 2015; Animals 24-7
   The Hrenko conviction preceded by 19 days the convictions on April 14, 2015 in Dayton, Ohio of Andrew Nason, 30, and Julie Custer, 27, in connection with the February 7, 2014 fatal mauling of Klonda Richey, 57, by their two Cane Corsos.

Pine Bluff garage owner charged in fatal pit bull attack
April 22, 2015; Arkansas Online
   The manslaughter charge is a Class D felony, and an arrest warrant for Smith was issued at the time the charges were filed, Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Case Coordinator Cheryl Skagsjord said.

Pit Bull Mauling Death Being Referred To Grand Jury
April 20, 2015; CBS DFW

Woman charged after alleged Cove pit bull attack
April 17, 2015; Killeen Daily Herald

Family of 9-year-old mauled by pit bull says dog has bitten before, sues owners for negligence
April 14, 2015; Alabama.com

Owners will not be charged in Union Co. pit bull attack
April 2, 2015; THV11 Little Rock AK
   According to the prosecutor, the owners will not be charged because the three pit bulls showed no previous signs of aggression.

March 29, 2015; SILive.com
Mauled in pit bull attack, she settles lawsuit for $450,000

March 25, 2015; CBS Sacramento
Stockton Man Going To Prison For Pit Bull’s Deadly Mauling

March 23, 2015; KOAT 7ABC
Woman faces charges after pit bull attack
According to police, Romeyn’s dogs have injured other animals twice before.

March 18, 2015; The Republican, Springfield MA
Springfield jury awards $150,000 to mother of child injured by pit bull
    jury found both the owner of the dog, Thomas Peralta, and the owner of the apartment building in which Peralta lived, Tomas Paris, negligent. It said that negligence resulted in damages to Lazarro Lopez.

March 17, 2015; The Detroit News
Owner of pit bulls that mauled Detroit man arraigned


March 13, 2015; Pahrump, NV
3 injured after pit bull attack, 1 critical, owner arrested

Ric Davidson, owner of three pit bulls

March 10, 2015; Marshall, TX
1 arrested in vicious dog attack resulting in hospitalization of 83-year-old
   On February 9, 2015, at 8:45 am, Sarah Harper, an 83-year-old retired teacher, was attacked in her front yard by two pit bull type dogs o . . . . The victim, a great-grandmother and longtime Marshall resident, remains in ICU while she recovers.

March 2, 2015; Miami-Dade County, FL
Dad Takes Plea Deal In Pit Bull Death

Related Posts:
Charges Pending        (May 26, 2013)
Charges Pending II    (June 20, 2014)
Charges Pending III   (Sept 02, 2014)
Charges Pending IV   (March 01 2015)

Statistics:
Statistics quoted on SRUV are from the nation's authoritative source for current dog attack statistics, the 30+ year, continuously updated Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada.
View or download the current PDF

2014 Year-end report of dog attacks
   Animals 24-7; January 3, 2015
32 years of logging fatal & disfiguring dog attacks
   Animals 24-7; September 27, 2014
How many other animals did pit bulls kill in 2014?
   Animals 24-7; January 27, 2015

This page may also include information from Dogsbite &Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Google News: Today's pit bull attacks

2014 Dog Bite Related Fatalities on Daxton's Friends
Index of canine fatalities on Daxton's Friends

Definitions:
SRUV uses the definition of "pit bull" as found in the Omaha Municipal Code Section 6-163. As pit bulls are increasingly crossed with exotic mastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and other breeds, the vernacular definition of "pit bull" must be made even more inclusive.

Sources cited by news media sometimes refer to "Animal Advocates" or sometimes "Experts." In many cases these words are used to refer to single-purpose pit bull advocates who have never advocated for any other breeds or species of animals. Media would be more accurate to refer to these pit bull advocates as advocates of fighting breeds.

Similarly, in many cases pit bull advocates refer to themselves as "dog lovers" or "canine advocates" and media often accepts this usage. The majority of these pit bull advocates are single-purpose advocates of fighting breeds.

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