And a police report revealed that an earlier attack by the dog last month involved the two children of the man charged, Damon Lamont Alexander, 37. He and Amanda Leigh Wilson, 28, were arrested Wednesday evening and both were charged with one count of failure to care, contain or control a dangerous canine, a felony, according to a report issued by the city's Police Department.
Alexander and Wilson, who live next door to the dog attack victims, Lisa Manis and her 6-year-old daughter, in the Rice Terrace apartment complex, were being held late Thursday in the Bristol, Va., Jail, Alexander under $5,000 bond and Wilson under a $2,500 bond.
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| Damon Alexander, 37, and Amanda Leigh Wilson, 28, both of Bristol, Va., have been charged with a Class 6 felony in connection with the June 14 attack by a pit bull against Lisa Manis, 36, and her 6-year-old daughter at Moore Street Park. |
The couple was taking care of the dog -- named Hitler -- for his owners, Adam Geiger and Stephanie Worley of Bristol , Tenn., police said.
According to Virginia Code, because Alexander and Wilson were the custodians of the dog, they are charged in the case rather than the owners.
The second attack happened June 14 after Manis asked to take the dog for a walk with her daughter and son. The little girl climbed onto a swing and began to play when the dog grabbed her by the leg and dragged her across the ground. Manis told the Bristol Herald Courier that she pulled the dog’s mouth open to free her daughter and told her to run and get help while the boy stayed in a slide tower in the playground.
[OK, look at their arrest photos and now ask yourself why this woman, Manis, would be associating with these two boneheads -- and exposing her children to them?
"Hi. I was telling my kids what a nice neck tattoo you had and they wanted to see it themselves. See, kids, that's a swastika. Remember it from the 'Indiana Jones' movies? Well, anyway, we are going to the park and wanted to see if we could bring "Hitler" along with us. He's such a nice dog - with such an interesting name!"
I have lost all sympthathy I had for the mother and now just feel sorry for her child.]
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| Manis, recovering from the attack, has a lot of explaining to do |
Manis was then mauled by the dog, suffering severe bites to all four limbs. The dog was pulled off by two men from the complex who held the animal until an animal control officer arrived.
Manis is now recovering at home, still in severe pain and suffering from night terrors, her husband Harry Dunn Jr. said. Their daughter is doing well, the family said.
The pit bull was euthanized hours after the attack after the owners gave consent.
Officer Jason Wilson of the SBK Animal Shelter told the Herald Courier Thursday that the pit bull attacked Alexander's two children at Observation Knob Park in Bristol , Tenn., on May 25. Wilson said Alexander told him then that the dog was not up to date on vaccinations and the pit bull was immediately taken to SBK’s shelter in Blountville, Tenn., where he was quarantined for 10 days under state regulations.
After the incubation period, the dog was examined by a representative of the Sullivan County Health Department and released into Alexander’s custody last week, Wilson said. The second attack took place just three days after the dog was released.
[It says that Adam Geiger and Stephanie Worley are the 'actual' dog owners. So, why would Animal Control release the dog Alexander? Why is Alexander picking up a dog which had attacked his two children? Why is Alexander then taking someone else's dog to Virginia to the public housing complex where his girlfriend lived? None of this makes sense...]
The day before Manis was attacked, she said she took the dog for a walk and said he did not show any signs of aggression.
Bristol Police Capt. Maynard Ratcliff said in the report that the charges stem from Alexander and Wilson failing to advise Manis that there had been a previous attack and allowing her to take the dog without any knowledge of the dog being vicious.
Police said the dog was at Alexander’s apartment at various times. A dog of that size and weight is not allowed in the complex, according to Bristol Redevelopment Housing Authority President and CEO David Baldwin. Rice Terrace residents are allowed to have one pet, either a dog or cat, that cannot be more than 15 inches tall and weigh more than 25 pounds, Baldwin said.
Alexander has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions on charges of domestic assault, aggravated assault, probation violations, aggravated burglary and being a fugitive from justice, according to Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Leslie Earhart.
(Bristol Herald Courier - June 20, 2013)
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