County Judge Scott Mitchell ordered Cecilia Babillis, 20, to return to court in February to learn what fines he’ll impose for four citations, each up to $250. Two other citations were dismissed.
Mitchell warned Babillis he would impose stiff penalties if her dogs caused any more problems for her neighbors, but would consider lighter fines if there is no trouble. The citations were primarily for allowing the dogs to run at large.
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| Three years of warnings and 20 incidents regarding their pit bulls: Ceclia Babillis grew tearful during a recent Atlantic Beach City Commission meeting over complaints about her pit bulls |
Babillis’ mother, Suzanne LeViseur, pleaded no contest earlier in the morning to one citation. She was fined $105, while two other cases were dismissed.
A majority of the neighbors live in the 300 block of Magnolia Street, including two on either side of LeViseur’s home. They filed a bevy of complaints ranging from seeing the dogs running loose to being charged by the animals.
While the trouble dates back to 2009, many of the complaints were documented during a recent investigation by city animal control officers, including several lodged well after the incidents occurred. The findings led police Chief Michael Classey to deem the dogs a public nuisance and dangerous.
LeViseur appealed the nuisance charge to the City Commission. The commission backed the chief in a meeting that included testimony from the fearful neighbors and a tearful Babillis, who took responsibility for the trouble and apologized to her mother.
Babillis and her mother were ordered to keep the dogs on their property until further notice. There have been no reports of trouble since, and Mitchell told Babillis to keep it that way.
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| Snotty bravado extinguished: Cecilia Babillis, with one of three of her pit bulls beside her, takes pictures of a reporter and photographer interviewing a dog walker on the street outside Babillis' Atlantic Beach home |
“It’ll be an expensive run for your dogs if you let them off the leash again,” Mitchell said.
Attorney Bob Willis, who is working pro bono for Babillis, said she and her mother don’t want any more trouble.
“We hope to find some reasonable solution to the neighborhood problem,” Willis said.
The city’s municipal code board will hold a hearing Monday on the dangerous dog designation. Under the code, anyone who has a dog deemed dangerous must provide special housing for the animals and purchase insurance to cover any trouble.
(Jacksonville.com - Nov 14, 2012)
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