NORTH CAROLINA -- Two pit bulls severely injured a Winston-Salem woman Tuesday when they attacked her as she walked on Gholson Avenue, authorities said Wednesday.
Kim Payne suffered bone-deep puncture wounds to her thigh and arm before a neighbor beat the dogs off of her with an aluminum baseball bat, according to FOX8/WGHP, the Journal's newsgathering partner.
Payne was walking to a nearby convenience store when five mixed-breed pit bulls charged at her, but only two, a male and female dog, actually bit her, said Cpl. Ricky Beeson, a Forsyth County animal control officer.
The dogs' owner, Dewane Rickman of 1226 Gholson Ave., was cited for violations in connection with the attack, authorities said. Rickman couldn't be reached for comment.
"I'm telling you, them dogs, they (were) pulling and I actually thought he was going to rip my leg off," Payne told FOX8. "I thought I was going to die."
No one answered Payne's door at her house on Gholson Avenue Wednesday afternoon. She also didn't return a phone call seeking comment.
Charles Campbell, the neighbor with the bat, said he thought Payne was in mortal danger.
"The way that lady was screaming, I knew she was screaming for her life," Campbell told the television station. "So I just came out swinging."
After Campbell rescued Payne, she was treated at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
When Beeson arrived on the scene after the attack, he saw the dogs, still loose, facing a mob of armed neighbors.
"There was a crowd of neighbors outside with various weapons waiting to defend themselves," Beeson said.
Rickman and his wife owned six adult pit bulls and five puppies. Rickman told Beeson that five dogs ran out their house when he opened the front door toward Payne.
"We found the condition the dogs were living in were pretty rough," Beeson said. "There were a lot of feces, a strong odor of urine … deplorable. We spoke with the owner of the dogs and the property, and he surrendered the dogs to animal control to get them out of the situation."
Animal control took the dogs to the Forsyth County Animal Shelter. Officials will evaluate the 11 dogs for 10 days before deciding what to do with them.
Rickman was cited for failing to control a vicious animal, cruelty to animals, failing to restrain his dogs, possessing a dangerous dog, not having up-to-date rabies vaccinations for his dogs, and failing to register his dogs, Beeson said.
Shawonda Hairston, who lives on Diggs Boulevard near Rickman, said she knew of no other neighborhood dog attacks.
"It is surprising that she (Payne) got attacked," Hairston said.
Valeria Valerio, an employee at the nearby La Lupita Convenience Store at 1320 Cunningham Ave., said Payne is a frequent customer, and that local parents often speak with Valerio about their concerns of loose dogs in the neighborhood.
"I'm really scared of those dogs," Valerio said.
Meanwhile, Payne told FOX8 that she has trouble walking and that her bites are extremely painful. She said she is being treated with several medications and will undergo rabies shots.
"I'm just in a lot of pain" Payne said. "I'm a mess, but I thank God I'm still here."
(Winston-Salem Journal - Sept 6, 2012)
