On Wednesday, someone who went to the property to feed the dogs at the home found the body of Erin McCleskey, a process server who went to the home on Fay Street near Parmer Lane earlier in the day to serve civil papers, her employer and authorities said.
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| McCleskey had entered the property by the unlocked front gate to simply deliver court papers |
The case will likely be labeled an accidental death, and the owner of the dogs will probably not face charges, sheriff’s office spokesman Roger Wade said.
“If the homeowner’s not there and doesn’t 'sic the dogs' on them, I don’t know what charges would be filed,” he said.
How about -- before you do a press interview -- you confer with the district attorney's office to find out what charges could be possible? That way you don't sound like you don't know anything.
Austin Animal Protection officers impounded six dogs that were on the property, most of which appeared to be Labrador/Great Pyrenees mixes, the release said. They also found 14 puppies. Austin city spokeswoman Patricia Fraga said records from all area animal centers showed no prior animal complaints involving the property or the dogs.
Wade said the dogs were loose on the property, but they apparently belonged to Terry Swanson, who had been out of town for over a month and had left a caretaker in charge of feeding them.
Casey Cox, chief operating officer of EZ Messenger, said McCleskey was an independent contractor who was serving papers for his company at the time. She was also the daughter of his business partner, Michael Shapiro, “so it’s definitely hit home for us,” he said.
She lived with her parents and had siblings in the area, he said.
Cox said process servers are trained in situational awareness and how to deal with violent animals, but he didn’t know if McCleskey carried any kind of weapon. Cox said he has had other process servers bitten by dogs.
He declined to say what kind of papers McCleskey was trying to serve at the time. Appraisal district records list the owner of the property as Donald Swanson. Phone numbers for Donald and Terry Swanson were disconnected, and they couldn’t be reached for comment.
Update: It was later confirmed that Terry Swanson is the owner of the dogs.
Gonzalo Grimaldo, the owner of a parking lot next to the Swansons’ property, said the dogs got loose a few months ago and attacked his dog. He called the attack frightening and said he called 911, but said nobody responded to his report.
Another neighbor, Christi Sparks, said her family has had constant problems with dogs running loose in the neighborhood since they moved there in 2005.
She won’t let her children ride bikes or skateboard outside because of roaming dogs.
The Travis County medical examiner’s office is still investigating McCleskey’s cause of death, according to the release.
The dogs are in quarantine for 10 days to see if they have rabies, Fraga said. Then the city will likely file paperwork to take control of them, and there will be a court hearing to determine whether they are vicious and need to be euthanized.
(Statesman - June 16, 2016)
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