Dog bite leads to arrest of parents: Police say story about attack by stray dog made up to protect family pet

ARIZONA -- The parents of a child who was attacked by a family dog are facing several criminal charges, Bullhead City police announced Friday.

The parents and another family member reportedly hindered an investigation and attempted to avoid quarantining the dog for rabies.

Police said the 5-year-old girl was taken to Valley View Medical Center Wednesday for treatment of injuries sustained after she was bitten.

The girl’s mother, Maria Escobar, 22, reportedly told animal care and welfare officers that her daughter was attacked by a stray dog on Coronado Drive.

The girl suffered bites to her head and shoulder and had claw marks on her back, police spokeswoman Emily Fromelt said.

“The mother was not forthcoming with information and kept changing the details in her story,” Fromelt said. “She also would not provide her address.”

Animal care officers immediately patrolled the area in which Escobar said the bite occurred, she said, but failed to find any evidence of an attack or any witnesses.

They attempted to contact the victim’s parents several times, Fromelt said, but Escobar continued to be uncooperative and did not return messages.

Friday, she said, animal care officers were able to find out where the family lived, in the 1800 block of Coronado Drive. Escobar reportedly said that there was only one dog in the house. When animal care officers talked to the 5-year-old, Fromelt said, she said that the dog that had bitten her lived at her house.

Escobar and her husband, Kurtis W. Rhodes, 28, reportedly continued to lie to animal care officers.

Officers later discovered that the family had taken the dog to Flagstaff, Fromelt said, in fear that animal control authorities would kill the dog after quarantine.

She said the family was instructed to bring back the dog for quarantine procedures and for the welfare of the bite victim.

The couple’s cousin, Jason Lee Schultz, 43, reportedly helped cover up the incident. Schultz was cited for conspiracy to hinder prosecution, hindering prosecution, endangerment, having more than three dogs and four counts of keeping an unlicensed dog. He was later released.

Citations are pending for Rhodes and Escobar for conspiracy to hinder prosecution, hindering prosecution, endangerment and providing false information to police, Fromelt said.

The dog, a 9-year-old male husky-chow mix, is being quarantined. State law requires that any animal that has bitten a human, breaking the skin, be quarantined for 10 days from when the bite occurred.

During that time, animal care officers watch for any signs of rabies. The goal of quarantine, Fromelt said, is to prevent a possible outbreak. If there are no signs, the animal may be released to its owner upon proper licensing.

(Mohave Valley News - Aug 23, 2014)