Virginia: Father of woman convicted in Fredericksburg dog attacks now facing charges himself

VIRGINIA -- The father of a Fredericksburg woman convicted in two dog attacks is now in hot water over after another reported dog attack authorities attribute to one of her dogs.

Sidney David Derise faces a misdemeanor nuisance dog charge in relation to a July 2 incident outside his home in the 700 block of Princess Anne Street, according to police and court records.

Fredericksburg Police Department spokeswoman Sarah Kirkpatrick said a woman was walking her black Labrador that morning when a dog emerged from Derise’s home and attacked the Lab.

The dog, Hydro, is a pit bull owned by Derise’s daughter, Valorie Katherine Bachar. Derise is considered the custodian of that dog and another of Bachar’s dogs, a pit bull that is on the state’s dangerous dog registry.

Hydro is being held at the Spotsylvania County Animal Shelter, according to Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Capt. William Tydings. Spotsylvania handles the city animal control calls.

The captain said animal control hadn’t had issues with Hydro prior to the reported July 2 attack.
Kirkpatrick said Derise and others in the area broke up the fight between the dogs. No injuries were reported.

Derise, 69, is scheduled to appear in Fredericksburg General District Court on Aug. 31.

A pair of similar dog attacks in December and May led to charges against Bachar, who was convicted in both cases. In an unrelated case, she also faces drug charges, according the Fredericksburg Circuit Court records.

In June, Bachar was fined $100 for the May 17 attack in the 1100 block of Kenmore Avenue, where Bachar lives in a house owned by her father.

Along with the fine, Bachar was ordered to remove the dog from the city within 30 days.

In that attack, one of her pit bulls escaped from the home’s garage and went after a small terrier that was out with its owner. The owner suffered a head injury when the pit bull knocked her over. The woman’s dog survived, but had to get stitches.

In the December case, a woman was walking her golden retriever along Kenmore Avenue when two pit bulls pushed open the glass front door of Bachar’s home and attacked, according to Fredericksburg Circuit Court records. One of the pit bulls, Buddy, bit the retriever on the neck and bit the woman when she intervened.

After an April hearing in Circuit Court, Buddy was declared to be dangerous. The finding required Bachar to register the dog in Virginia’s Dangerous Dog Registry, put a dangerous dog tag on the dog’s collar; post warning signs on the property; get $100,000 in liability insurance; and keep the dog on a leash and muzzled when out of the house.

(Fredericksburg Free Lance–Star - July 22, 2016)

Earlier:

• Virginia: Valorie Bachar, facing heroin possession charges, also has vicious pit bulls. Imagine that!