Texas: Mom whose son was attacked and killed by neighbor's pit bulls back in 2009, writes a heart-wrenching post

TEXAS -- On June 15, 2009, Serenia Clinton faced every mother's worst nightmare. 

Although her son Justin was 10 years old, like all moms, I'm sure she still thought of him as her little boy, her baby.

On that summer day, Justin decided to skateboard over to a friend’s house to play, just as he often did. He was a country boy from Rusk County, Texas, and she thought he'd be fine - as always.

He passed a nearby home, where two pit bull mixes had escaped from their fenced-in yard and were roaming around. Justin had been around these dogs before, had played with them, and thought he had nothing to fear. But on this day, the two dogs did not see Justin as the little boy who petted and played with them and treated them kindly. They saw him as prey. 

The two pit bulls chased Justin and attacked him. Justin weighed just 63 pounds. The pit bulls weighed in at 88 and 70 pounds. 

Veronica Tatum stated that she saw the dogs attacking the boy from across the street at the local school and literally ran out of her flip flop shoes to come to Justin's rescue. She used Justin's skateboard to beat the pit bulls until she was able to get them back into their fenced yard area and tried to do CPR on Justin, but it was too late. He was bleeding too badly from all of the wounds and passed away before he could even be taken to the hospital.

More than seven years have passed and I'm sure Justin's mom never stops missing him, wondering if anything else could have been done, what her little boy would be like today - getting his driver's license, going out on dates, going to the prom, playing on the varsity football team, getting ready for college entrance exams.  To those of us who never knew him, Justin is frozen in time in photographs - always an adorable 10 year old boy. I hope his family can someday be at peace, knowing Justin is with God and is watching over them.

Serenia Gooch Clinton posted on Facebook
Yesterday at 12:08am · Laird Hill, TX ·

❤Justin's story❤

Hi... my name is Justin Clinton. I'm only 10 years old. I am a regular kid... I love football, baseball and riding my skateboard. I can't wait until I'm bigger, so I can get a real football uniform and play for my school!.... But, I am only 10 years old.

I make really good grades in school, my Mom said I could grow up to be anything in the world! I want be a pro football player or a fireman...who knows? I may cure a disease or be President one day, but I'm only 10 years old.

I guess one day I can be a Dad, have a wife and a couple of kid's...man I would play with them all day!...But I'm only 10 years old.

I will always be only 10 years old because of me getting killed by the dogs.

See..my friend lives down the street and he has 2 dogs that we play with all the time... they are pit bulls...but they love me and I love them back!

One day, after school... I grabbed my skateboard and took off to see my friend. I was riding by his house and the dogs were trying to come play with me I guess... they busted through the fence gate. Next I was knocked off my skateboard Hard!

Then I just remember they were all over me on that quiet oil top road where no one could hear me screaming. My neck! My chest! They are killing me...and I am only 10 years old!

I think I went to sleep for a little while, 'cause when I woke up they were dragging me into the woods...I am so cold. Then one of our neighbors grabbed my skateboard and was hitting the dogs...they ran away. She picked my head and shoulders up in her arms and she was crying...did they hurt her too? There is a lot of blood on her! I saw her eyes and that's the last thing I saw...but...I'm only 10 years old!!!

I'm supposed to see a lot more stuff!! My proms, graduation, my bride, my kid's.... but my life slowly fades from me... and I'm only 10 years old... I didn't even live long enough to get that football uniform... I thought those dogs were my friends... what did I ever do to them?

Well... I need to go now, I have to watch over my Mom and Dad and sister... oh no.. they are crying again...I have a big job to do, watching over them. I don't mind... but I am only 10 years old!

Earlier:

• Texas: Jury awards $7 million in Rusk Co. dog mauling case

Dog euthanized after attack that left mother, son hospitalized

FLORIDA -- A 2-year-old Cane Corso - pit bull mix was euthanized Wednesday — 11 days after, authorities say, the dog bit a mother and son while running loose in a neighborhood west of Fort Lauderdale.

The dog, named Kane, was surrendered by his owner to Broward County Animal Care and Adoption and euthanized Wednesday morning at the owner's request, said Lisa Mendheim, the agency's spokeswoman.

Kane was held for 10 days at a county shelter in Fort Lauderdale and monitored for possible rabies after he bit Gracieuse Jean-Baptiste, 35, and her 9-year-old son, Shamar Jean-Baptiste, on March 28 in the 1800 block of Southwest 43rd Avenue.

Mother and son were hospitalized following the afternoon attack. Updates on their conditions were not available Wednesday.

The shelter determined Kane did not have rabies, but it cannot take in a dog that has bitten someone, Mendheim said.

"Play biting is one thing, but these were severe injuries," she said. "These people were hospitalized. From a public safety standpoint, we cannot adopt a dog that has done that."

The dog's owner, Enrique Rivera, was cited for not registering the dog in Broward County and not having a current rabies vaccination.

"It's an unfortunate thing," Mendheim said. "People have to be responsible for their pets."

Broward County law requires dogs and cats to wear an official Broward County rabies registration tag, according to the agency's website. Owners cannot purchase tags until their pets are vaccinated against rabies.

For more information about vaccinations and pet care, visit the Broward County Animal Care and Adoption website at http://www.broward.org/animal.

(Sun Sentinel - April 8, 2015)

Earlier:

• Pit bull mix attacks boy near Lauderdale; child's family, neighbor help save him

Pit bull mix attacks boy near Lauderdale; child's family, neighbor help save him

FLORIDA -- When a dog pounced on a boy and began biting him, the child's relatives and a neighbor rushed to the boy's aid, witnesses say.

They beat the dog with a skateboard, broom and belt — anything they could find — to stop the animal Saturday afternoon. Yet the canine was difficult to fend off. The attack sent the boy and an adult relative, both of whom suffered bite wounds, to the hospital.

A woman cries after a dog was confiscated by Broward animal control
 officials on Saturday. The woman declined to provide her name. Neighbors
say the dog was responsible for an attack that sent a boy and
an adult to the hospital. (Adam Sacasa, Sun Sentinel)

 

"The dog just kept going back to the kid and attacking the kid," said Larry Szpyra, 64, a neighbor who heard the screams and witnessed the attack. "Just a nasty situation."

It happened about 3 p.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of Southwest 43rd Avenue in Broadview Park, an unincorporated neighborhood west of Fort Lauderdale.

The names of the dog-bite victims haven't been released, so their latest conditions were unavailable. Neighbors said the boy is about 9 or 10 years old.

"The adult sustained more serious injuries than the child," said Mike Jachles, a spokesman for Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.

Szpyra lives across the street from where the attack happened. He saw the dog dart down the road and head straight for a boy riding his bike in his driveway, he said.

"No provocation whatsoever," Szpyra said. "[The dog] just attacked the little boy and jumped on his back. I don't know how badly he was bitten but he started screaming."

The boy's sister grabbed a skateboard and started hitting the dog, trying to stop the attack, Szpyra said. A woman, believed by neighbors to be the boy's mother, used a broom handle to also hit the animal.

Their efforts weren't enough. The dog kept attacking, neighbors said.

Donna Hartog, 68, another neighbor, said she heard the child's mother scream. The dog's mouth was covered in what appeared to be blood, she said.

"The mouth was totally red," she said.

A 21-year-old neighbor heard the screams and ran out of his home to help everyone. He used a belt to hit the dog, neighbors said. The 21-year-old man's father, Jean Justine, said his son only suffered a scratch while helping. The dog followed Justine's son to Justine's home.

"When my son saw that dog again, he got inside" the home, Justine said. "The dog was really crazy."
At some point, a woman drove up to where the dog was and took the animal away.

"She must have been looking for him, knowing he was loose," Hartog said. "She's screaming, 'Stop beating the dog! Stop beating the dog!'"

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue said the agency's central Broward units responded to assist the child and adult who suffered the dog-bite wounds. The patients were taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

After the dog attack, an animal control unit and a sheriff's deputy responded to the home where the dog apparently lived. The dog was confiscated. A woman at that home, who was crying, declined to comment.

Neighbors saw the dog running loose in the neighborhood several times before, they said.

"That dog needs to be gone," Justine said.

(Sun Sentinel - March 28, 2015)

Connecticut: Archie Hilliard, 60, describes surviving attack by Nicole Hoyt's Pit Bull

CONNECTICUT -- A 60-year-old city man who was mauled by a pit bull said the dog was “in attack mode” when it leapt toward his throat and began biting him.

Archie Hilliard, who will undergo skin graft surgery Friday to repair his ankle, recounted his struggle with the violent pit bull during an interview Thursday in his room at Norwalk Hospital.

“The only thing running through my mind was: ‘This dog is serious,’” he said.

Samantha, a two-year-old white and tan pit bull, was quarantined after attacking Hilliard on Monday, and the dog was euthanized Tuesday night.

Hilliard’s left ankle was chewed to the bone during the attack, but doctors say he suffered no broken bones or nerve injuries. His left arm and leg were also injured during the attack.

Police told the media that Nicole Hoyt, 33, was walking two pit bulls, including Samantha, when Samantha mauled Hilliard.

However, Hilliard said the dogs wandered out of their home, unbeknownst to Hoyt,

Hilliard said he was walking on Haviland Place toward Monroe Street when he saw a small dog wander out of the residence at 5 Haviland Place. He thought it was odd that the dog did not have its owner with him. Seconds after the small dog wandered out of the Haviland Place residence, Samantha walked out of the same home and headed toward Hilliard.

 “The big one (Samantha) came out of the door in attack mode,” he said. “Everything happened so fast.”

Samantha jumped toward Hilliard, who raised his left forearm to try and protect his neck and face.

“All I could see is a pink tongue and teeth,” he said.

The dog bit Hilliard’s arm, and Hilliard yelled for the owner to get her dog.

Samantha eventually gave up on trying to bite Hilliard’s face and began to bite his leg. Hilliard grabbed onto the fence at 2 Haviland Place to try and hoist himself up, but the fence broke.

The residents at 2 Haviland Place came to his aid, beating the dog with a skateboard, a scooter and a tricycle to try and stop the attack.

“I can laugh about that now,” he said.

Despite the best efforts of the residents, the attack continued.

Nicole Hoyt eventually came outside and apologized profusely while Hilliard was being attacked. She did nothing to stop the attack, according to Hilliard.

Police rushed to the scene. In order to subdue the dog, three officers had to deploy their Tasers.

However, Samantha was only fazed briefly, and the dog stood up and walked back home, ripping the Taser darts out of its skin.

“I was just in shock,” he said. “I was scared to even move.”

While police were collecting witness statements, Samantha walked back out of the Haviland Place residence with a large piece of Hilliard’s flesh hanging out of its mouth. The dog again ran toward Hilliard, and Hilliard said he yelled to alert police.

The dog was Tasered again and finally subdued.

Nicole Hoyt, 33, of 5 Hanford Place, was cited for allowing a dog to roam and owning or harboring a dog to create a nuisance.

PIT BULL HAD PREVIOUSLY ATTACKED ITS OTHER OWNER
Monday was not the first time Samantha attacked a person, police say.

Samantha was quarantined from July 8 to July 22, because the dog attacked her owner, police said.

In May, Samantha attacked Vamond Elmore, 35, and Elmore stabbed the dog to get away from its grip, police said. The Pit Bull also bit Nicole Hoyt.

Elmore was subsequently charged with animal cruelty, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. His case is still pending.

Hilliard said authorities should have taken the proper actions to keep the dog off the streets.

“I blame them,” he said. “They were the ones that gave the dogs back to the girl. If they had done their jobs, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Francis DiScala, Hilliard’s attorney, said Hilliard is reviewing his legal options.

In the near future, Hilliard has a simple goal.

“I just hope to be able to walk again,” he said.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Norwalk police blotter - May 11, 2012
• Nicole Hoyt, 32, of 56 North Bridge, was charged with failure to appear in court and failure to respond to an infraction. She was held on $5,250 bond and given a court date of May 18.

Norwalk Police Blotter - June 27, 2012
• Nicole Hoyt, 33, of 5 Hanford Place, was charged with criminal violation of a protective order, failure to appear in court. She was held on $31,000 bond and given a court date of July 6.

(The Hour - August 9, 2012)