Washington: Kimberly Vasquez sentenced for pit bull attack, but did she turn over a different dog?

WASHINGTON -- A woman who pleaded guilty in a Longview dog attack case, which left a young boy with 40 stitches, will spend 90 days behind bars.

However, her sentence won't begin until authorities sort out whether Kimberly Vasquez actually turned over the correct dog to authorities.

The case began in August 2012. Police said a pit bull named Lexi, spelled Lex'Xee, attacked a 5-year-old boy, leaving a gruesome wound on his leg. It happened on Cypress Street.

The boy had to receive rabies shots, because police said the owner, Vasquez, 40, refused to turn over the dog to authorities.

According to court documents, between the day of the attack, Aug. 26, 2012, and Sept. 5, 2012, animal control officers made multiple attempts to take custody of the dog for a 10-day quarantine period for rabies observation.

A probable cause police statement from 2012 said Vasquez hid the dog.

Vasquez told Fox 12 in August 2012 that her son hid the dog.

"I honestly don't want to know where she is," she said.

Vasquez said the dog was often taunted by neighborhood kids and acted out of fear, not aggression, when it bit the boy.

"I had asked the kid three times to not ride the bike by the dog because I know how she is," Vasquez said last August.

[Yes, how dare this little boy ride his bicycle on a public street past your dumpy house?]

She later added, "I'm very sorry about the kid, I really am. You have no idea how bad I feel."

Police said Vasquez provided animal control officers with a supposed copy of her dog's rabies certification on Aug. 28, 2012. However, after officers checked with the Vancouver animal hospital listed on the certificate, they discovered it was fake.

The doctor listed on the form had never been a veterinarian at the hospital, there were no records of the client or the dog in the hospital's database and even the phone number for the clinic was incorrect.

In September 2013, Vasquez pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous dog attack and forgery. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail Monday, but investigators asked for the sentencing to be delayed until Oct. 14.

A hearing is scheduled that day to determine if Vasquez surrendered Lex'Xee for euthanization, or if it is a second dog not involved in the case.

Investigators believe the dog turned over by Vasquez is not the dog involved in the attack on the child. They said Lex'Xee may still be hidden somewhere, while Vasquez attempted to have a second dog put down in its place.

The October court hearing is scheduled to sort out the true identity of the dog in custody, according to investigators

(KPTV - Oct 1, 2013)

Earlier:

• Family refuses to turn over pit bull that bit 5-year-old boy