CALIFORNIA -- Last month CBS13 reported about a 3-year-old hospitalized after a vicious pit bull attack. The boy’s father claimed the dog was a stray.
It turns out, Animal Control says, he was lying. The dog was his.
Animal Control say something didn’t seem right when officers spoke to the little boy’s dad about the attack, but it wasn’t until our story aired that the truth finally came out.
“After your story aired we received more tips regarding the situation,” Animal Control’s Ruben Hernandez said.
Those tips led to uncovering a father’s lies, according to Animal Control.
“The dog just jumped on him right there.” That was Josh Lewis’ story last month, talking about a pit bit bull attacking his son.
It sparked an intense two-week search by animal control for the vicious stray in the Rio Linda neighborhood. But Animal Control says it quickly grew suspicious because of the dad’s behavior…
“He also didn’t act like a parent that had their child attacked by a stray dog,” Hernandez said.
Animal control also says when officers found a dog matching the description of the pit, Lewis changed his story.
“He changed it a few times as far as the description and location of the dog,” Hernandez said.
Lewis wasn’t home Friday, but a woman was and she threatened to punch CBS13 reporter Maria Medina.
“I’m about to sock you, bro. Get the **** out of here,” she said.
Lewis was a little more responsive to our questions. In a phone interview, he says he finally admitted to Animal Control officers that the pit was actually his, but then said that was a lie as well.
“I did so they would go away, but I mean technically it isn’t my dog,” he said over the phone.
Lewis told Animal Control that he got rid of the dog somewhere in Rio Linda after it bit his son.
“He said that he was fearful about the dog being picked up and the cost associated with it,” Hernandez said.
Lewis now has been cited for the incident and could face up to a year in jail if convicted.
(CBS13 - Feb 17, 2012)
