NORTH CAROLINA -- Two pit bulls that attacked two dogs and injured a woman earlier this month are quarantined at the animal shelter on Stone Quarry Road until the case of the dogs’ owner is heard in Alamance County District Court.
It will be up to a judge to decide the fate of the dogs as well as that of Jeffrey Elwood Burton, 29, of Mebane, who faces attack by dangerous dog and precautions against dangerous dog charges, which are misdemeanors.
“In general, when a dog comes in because of an attack or criminal charges, we will hold the animals until there is a court date,” said retired Burlington police Maj. Greg Seel, who currently oversees Burlington Animal Services. “It depends on the case whether a judge will order that the animals go back to the owner with restrictions or if they need to be surrendered to the animal shelter or need to be euthanized.”
The charges against Burton stem from an incident that occurred at about 9 a.m. on Sept. 14. Sandra Jarrell of Burlington was walking Buttons, a Yorkshire terrier that belongs to her mother, Blanche Cole of Carr Street in Mebane.
“I was walking him down the street and we had just got to the corner of Stagecoach (Road) and Carr (Street) when I saw two pit bulls running right towards us,” Jarrell said. “I grabbed my mom’s Yorkie, and they yanked Buttons out of my arms.”
Jarrell started screaming for help.
“They were just tearing him apart,” she said.
Two men who were driving down the street stopped their cars and got out to help. Jarrell said they began kicking the dogs.
“If they had not stopped, the pit bulls would have torn my mom’s dog in half,” Jarrell said. “I am so thankful they stopped.”
Jarrell was bit in the hand and was treated and released at Alamance Regional Medical Center. Buttons had 17 puncture wounds and needed emergency surgery, which had to be stopped midway through because the dog was losing so much blood.
“He needs more surgery done,” Jarrell said. “He suffered liver and muscle damage.”
Prior to the attack on Buttons, the pit bulls had attacked Kirk Wilkerson’s dog. Wilkerson kicked the dogs, and they went away. He was calling Mebane police and reporting the incident when Jarrell encountered the pit bulls.
Mebane police responded to the incident and charged Burton, who has a court date on Oct. 7. He also faces abandonment of animal and cruelty to animal charges for an incident in January when he allegedly put a pit bull “puppy in a trash can and left it for dead,” according to warrants. He has a court date on Oct. 27 for those charges.
Mebane police Assistant Chief T.A. Byrd said that police were able to catch the dogs with the help of animal control, and they were brought to the shelter at that time. Burton has another dog that was not involved in the incident that he has tied up in his fenced-in yard.
Mebane residents are only allowed to have three dogs within the city limits and dogs much be kept inside a fenced area or on a leash.
Jarrell said she’s experienced several sleepless nights since the incident.
“I’ve never in my life been attacked by dogs before,” she said. “I just froze. I could not believe those dogs came after us like that. … It gave me great anxiety. I keep hearing myself screaming. It still bothers me.”
(Times-News - September 30, 2011)
