NORTH CAROLINA -- Five pit bulls attacked and severely injured a Winston-Salem woman as she walked down Gholson Street Tuesday morning around 8 a.m.
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.
“I’m telling you, them dogs, they was pulling and I actually thought he was going to rip my leg off,” Payne said. “I thought I was going to die.”
“I’m telling you, them dogs, they was pulling and I actually thought he was going to rip my leg off,” Payne said. “I thought I was going to die.”
Charles Campbell, the neighbor with the bat, thought Payne was in mortal danger as well.
“The way that lady was screaming, I knew she was screaming for her life,” Campbell said. “So I just came out swinging. I tried to beat their heads off. I tried to knock them off. I tried to kill them.”
“The way that lady was screaming, I knew she was screaming for her life,” Campbell said. “So I just came out swinging. I tried to beat their heads off. I tried to knock them off. I tried to kill them.”
After Campbell rescued Payne, allowing her to get away and eventually make it to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center where she was treated and released. Forsyth County Animal Control arrived to find the dogs facing an angry mob of armed neighbors.
“There was a crowd of neighbors outside with various weapons waiting to defend themselves,” said animal control Cpl. Ricky Beeson.
“There was a crowd of neighbors outside with various weapons waiting to defend themselves,” said animal control Cpl. Ricky Beeson.
Cpl. Beeson said the dogs belonged to a couple at 1226 Gholson Street. The couple owned six adult pit bulls and five puppies.
“We found the condition the dogs were living in were pretty rough,” said Cpl. Beeson. “There was 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 will evaluate the 11 dogs for the next ten days before deciding what to do with them.
“We found the condition the dogs were living in were pretty rough,” said Cpl. Beeson. “There was 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 will evaluate the 11 dogs for the next ten days before deciding what to do with them.
Payne has trouble walking and says her bites are extremely painful. She said she’ll have to deal with several medications and a series of rabies shots until she can recover.
“I’m just in a lot of pain. Just in a lot of pain,” Payne said. “I’m a mess, but I thank God I’m still here.”
(WGHP - September 4, 2012)
