SAVANNAH, GA (July 1, 2011): The 19-year-old woman in possession of two pit bull dogs that escaped her minivan and attacked children in a neighborhood park on June 21will not be charged.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department criminal investigators said they have presented their findings to the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office and have been advised that no Georgia statute applies to the case.
Investigations confirmed that the two dogs escaped when an 11-year-old sister of the woman opened a car door and was unable to close it before the two family pets pushed their way out.
The dogs entered Treat Park at Treat Avenue and Gable Street. One latched onto 7-year-old Javon Roberson as he fled from a swing to join playmates who had been chased atop a jungle gym set. She bit the child’s face while the larger dog attempted to attack the other children. Neighbors used bricks to beat the first dog unconscious and force her to release her hold on the child. Then they chased the other dog away with bricks and a pistol.
The woman approached detectives two days later to report that the dogs had escaped while she was out of the car, opening a gate to place the dogs in a relative’s yard. They were going to be held there while her family was moving from one neighborhood to another. Her sister opened the car door to exit and was too small to hold the dogs back.
Detective Kenneth Whitcomb said the veterinarian who inspected the dogs after the attack said he found neither evidence that they had been involved in fighting before nor any indication of aggression or abuse. The woman said she and her sister had searched for the dogs with leashes in hand until they heard the shooting and commotion and they left. Neighbors in the area of the attack had earlier reported to police seeing “two young girls” walking through the neighborhood with leashes.
The child has been in critical condition since the attack at Memorial University Medical Center where he has undergone several surgeries to repair damage to his face.
The smaller dog was euthanized by SCMPD animal control officers the night of the attack. The other, tranquilized by animal control and captured the next morning, has been held for observation. Its fate has not been finalized.
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