Suspect charged with filing a false report to police officers
ELBA, AL -- Elba Police made an arrest last Friday, May 6, in a case that stemmed from an April incident involving a dog bite of a child.
According to Elba Police Investigator Michael Adkison, the department received a report during the evening hours of Monday, April 11, that a dog had attacked a 6-year-old child on Rebecca Lane in Elba. He said the report, made by the child’s aunt, indicated they were walking along Rebecca Lane when a black and tan German Shepard dog came out from behind a building and attacked the child.
The child was taken to a local hospital where she later underwent cosmetic surgery on her face due to the severe trauma caused by the dog attack/bite.
Inv. Adkison said the Elba Police immediately began to investigate this incident, and the investigation led them to discover the events of the story had been fabricated. He said officials discovered the dog that attacked the 6-year-old girl was a family-owned dog that was in the backyard of the child’s grandmother’s house, located at 140 Plant Avenue in Elba.
Inv. Adkison also said the dog was not a German Shepard, but instead, it was a pit bull dog.
It appears the child went into the backyard and was attacked by the pit bull at this Plant Avenue location.
Adkison said the dog was taken into custody by officials and tested for rabies. He said those tests came back negative. Due to the attack, however, the dog has since been put down.
Jena M. Wood, age 35, of 715 Putnam Street, Elba, was arrested last Friday, May 6, and charged with filing a false report to a police officer. This is a misdemeanor charge. As previously stated, Wood is an aunt of the injured child.
Inv. Adkison said the disturbing thing about this case is that family members of this 6-year-old child seemingly covered up for the dog over the well-being of the child. Had the family members chosen to tell the truth in the beginning instead of covering up for the dog and filing a false report, he said this simply would have been an unfortunate accident but no one likely would have faced criminal charges.
Adkison added that according to the child’s mother, the little girl still faces additional surgeries due to the extent of her injuries.
(The Elba Clipper, May 12, 2011)
