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| Eric Patrick Knox |
According to an arrest affidavit filed Friday, Eric Patrick Knox , 50, has been charged with attack by a dog, a third-degree felony. He was not in custody Friday, according to jail records.
The affidavit says that on Sept. 5, Labor Day, a man was walking south on Gloucester Lane near Rogge Lane in East Austin when three pit bulls attacked him without provocation.
According to arrest affidavits, at approximately 8:43 a.m. on September 5, 2011, patrol officers responded to several 911calls of a man being attacked by three dogs.
Upon the officers’ arrival, the three dogs, described as large pit bulls; a black and white, a blue and white, and a tan and white, stopped the attack and returned to their residence at 5707 B Gloucester Ln. Witnesses [say] the scene was "horrific" and that the dogs were covered in the victim's blood.
Witnesses claim the dogs bit the victim any place they could, but went primarily for the head, face and neck area. The first witnesses on the scene allegedly attempted to scare and then beat the dogs off of the victim [with an umbrella], but their efforts were ineffective, according to arrest affidavits.
The victim sustained a broken nose, a broken and deformed middle finger, detached ear lobes, severe lacerations to the left side of his face directly under his eye, and puncture wounds to his legs, arms, head, and neck.
The victim underwent surgery to re-attach both earlobes, and stitches/staples to close the open wounds. His right thumb is permanently in a bent position, and he is unable to extend it without manual help with his other hand. The left side of his face is numb, and it is unknown yet if he will ever regain feeling in that area.
He will need reconstructive plastic surgery and other medical care, the document said.
Police discovered that Knox owned the dogs and seized them from his home. The animals were later euthanized, the affidavit said.
Police charged Knox because they say he acted with criminal negligence by failing to secure the dogs, the affidavit said.
Knox has a lengthy criminal record, according to public records. It includes prior convictions for unlawfully carrying a weapon, evading arrest, possessing a controlled substance, burglary and shoplifting.
(American Statesman - Oct 28, 2011)