Sunday, August 7, 2011

Aggressive Edgewater Pit Bull Turned Over To Police‎

EDGEWATER, CO -- The pit bull suspected of charging and attempting to bit a mail carrier in Edgewater on Monday has been turned over to police today.


Mario Gonzales, who lives at the home where the attack occurred and owns the pit bull, and Levi Moreauc who police believe was harboring the dog, brought the dog to police this morning, according to a news release from the Edgewater Police Department.

The dog, named "Spooky," was taken to the Foothills Animal Shelter, located at 580 McIntyre Street in Golden. Spooky is being held on a police hold pending a court disposition.

On Monday, Spooky and a Rottweiler broke through a window screen and chased the mail carrier in the 2400 block of Newland Street.

The mail carrier called 9-1-1 and used mail to fend off the dogs.

When police arrived, they found two teenaged girls trying to control the dogs.

The owner's residence

The Rottweiler slipped loose and attacked one of the officers. The dog bit him several times on the thigh before the officer escaped. The Rottweiler then attacked the other officer [in the groin], who shot the dog in the head.

Both policemen were treated by paramedics for their injuries.

The Gonzales , who owns the Rottweiler, faces six counts - three for each dog - of having a vicious animal, animals running at large and failure to have rabies inoculation and tag.

Gonzales will have to answer to a municipal judge at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Police responded to a complaint that the same dogs chased the same mail carrier in May, and had issued a warning to the dog's owner last year.

Records show Gonzales has had numerous run-ins with authorities, including a two-year prison sentence in 1995 after pleading guilty to an attempt to possess more than 8 ounces of marijuana.


He served a year of probation after an assault in a case characterized in court records as domestic violence in 2005. He also was sentenced to six months of probation after pleading guilty to forgery in Lakewood in January of last year.

[NOTE: Many states have laws which say that convicted felons cannot own 'potentially dangerous' or 'dangerous' dogs. I wonder if CO is one of those states? I know TN has a law like that on the books.]

(Denver Post - August 6, 2011)

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