Connecticut: Neighbor comes home to see little boy, 5, covered in blood and being attacked by his family's Pit Bull

CONNECTICUT -- A Pit Bull mauled a young boy Thursday evening, dragging the child across the lawn of his home until a neighbor smacked the animal with a board, police said.

The five-year-old boy was rushed to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, police spokesman Capt. Christopher Davis said. Davis described the injuries as “very significant.”

On Friday morning, police released a 911 call from the incident, which captures the frantic request for help.

A person could be heard screaming in the background. The caller asked the dispatcher if he could hear her screaming.

“Please, please, send something. Send some help,” the unidentified caller said.

For a period, the caller does not respond to the dispatcher. When the caller speaks again, she is heard saying: “A dog attacked a little child. Please, please send somebody. Please.”

A neighbor told the Courant she had just pulled into her driveway and got out of her car when a woman at 27 Patriot Lane, which is directly across the street, came to the front door screaming frantically for the neighbor to call 911.

The pit bull had the child in its jaws and was dragging it across the front stoop and over the front lawn, said the neighbor, who would not give her name.

The dog had blood all over its face and paws and the child’s head was a bloody mess, the woman said.

The neighbor said she called 911 and ran over, first with a broomstick, but she realized that would not be heavy enough to stop the dog. So she grabbed a two-by-four, about four or five feet long, from her garage and whacked the dog on the head, she said.

The dog stopped attacking the boy after she hit it, but continued snarling and circling the child, she said. The neighbor said she was terrified that the dog would attack her. Police pulled up at about that time and someone in the house managed to collar the dog and bring it inside, the neighbor said.

The woman said she just happened to be arriving home when the attack started.

“I’m glad that God had me home,” she said.

Police said the Pit Bull belonged to the boy’s family at 27 Patriot Lane. It was taken to a local dog pound.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Hartford Courant - Sept 22, 2017)

Tennessee: Three illegal aliens, who tortured and stabbed family's dog, have been deported back to Mexico

TENNESSEE -- It took the better part of a year, but the three men convicted in December of brutally attacking a dog in their Asheville Highway apartment in 2016 are now back in their native country, Mexico.

Francisco Pultarco-Flores, 27, Hector Mendoza-Solano, 26, and Luis Mendoza-Hernandez, 24, were each sentenced in December 2016 by Circuit Court Judge Alex Pearson to one year in jail at 30 percent release eligibility on convictions of felony aggravated cruelty to animals.

 

 

Upon release in February from the Greene County Detention Center, the men were turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE spokesman Thomas N. Byrd said Wednesday that the trio, all ILLEGAL ALIENS FROM MEXICO, were deported to their country of origin on March 29.

“All three were ordered removed by an immigration judge from the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review,” Byrd said.

The three men were in the U.S. illegally, authorities recently said. There was apparently some initial confusion about their ages and full names after their arrests [likely because they gave them fake names, reversed their names, etc.], but the men were conclusively identified following an ICE investigation.

“Once we have someone in ICE custody we will detain them while we process them for removal. They will generally go before an immigration judge who will determine if they are to be removed,” Byrd said. “If the judge orders a person removed, we will then begin the process of obtaining travel documents from their country of origin. Once that is completed, we will schedule them for removal.”

Pultarco-Flores, Mendoza-Solano and Mendoza-Hernandez were charged Aug. 14, 2016, by sheriff’s deputies with the felony animal cruelty offense. The men were apparently working in the Greeneville area.

The crime they were charged with outraged many in the community. Their victim was a 7-year-old German shepherd named “Smokey.” His owners live nearby.

 

Smokey was rescued from the men’s apartment in the 7900 block of Asheville Highway. Sheriff’s deputies investigating a drunk and disorderly call probably saved Smokey’s life, Greeneville-Greene County Humane Society representatives said after the incident.

Smokey’s owners, Elaine and Lester Darnell, told deputies that they were not at their White Sands Road home on the night of Aug. 14, when a thunderstorm passed through the area.

Elaine Darnell later said that she and her husband returned to put Smokey inside the house because he is afraid of storms, but the dog had already jumped over a fenced-in enclosure.

Smokey apparently ran about a quarter-mile to the 7900 block of Asheville Highway, where he came in contact with the three men. They never divulged the circumstances.

 

As deputies entered the apartment, the three men were seen in a rear bathroom.

"The bathroom door was open. There were three men in the bathroom with the dog and they were holding a bloody knife and a bloody stick," Amy Bowman, Manager at the Greene County Humane Society said.

 

Smokey had several cuts and punctures to his body. He had been beaten, stabbed repeatedly in the face, neck and body while trapped in the bathroom with the three men. 

Blood was all over the floor of the apartment’s bathroom, one of the men was holding a bloody knife and another was holding a long wooden stick [with a knife attached to the end] that was also covered in Smokey's blood.

In court in December, Plutarco-Flores and Mendoza-Hernandez entered guilty pleas to aggravated cruelty to animals. Medoza-Solano entered a best interest plea, meaning he did not admit to the acts alleged by the state, but the plea had the same legal effect as if he were found guilty of the charge by a jury.

At sentencing in December, Pearson additionally prohibited the three men from owning any type of animal for 15 years. They were also ordered to pay veterinarian expenses incurred in treating the dog, which took several months to fully recover from his injuries.

It’s unlikely the court order prohibiting the men from owning animals carries any legal weight in Mexico, court officials said.

 

Pearson reviewed documents relating to the actions of the men before sentencing. He made similar statements to each defendant.

“These are terrible facts against you and you understand that kind of behavior is extremely offensive not only to the court but society in general,” Pearson told Mendoza-Hernandez.

Pultarco-Flores, Mendoza-Solano and Mendoza-Hernandez never offered an explanation for their actions on the night of Aug. 14, 2016.

 

 

(Greenville Sun - June 16, 2017)

Earlier:

• Tennessee: Mexican illegal aliens Luis Mendoza, Francisco Flores and Hector Mendoza found in bathroom beating, torturing and stabbing dog
• Tennessee: Illegal aliens Luis Mendoza, Francisco Flores and Hector Mendoza await criminal court after beating, torturing and stabbing dog

New York: Assistant District Attorney Jed Painter claims Brian DeMartino repeatedly jabbing and stabbing at a dog in a cage with a broomstick is not animal cruelty!

NEW YORK -- Brian DeMartino, the Oceanside man and former dog trainer who stood accused of abusing both his girlfriend and the dogs under his care, has had all but one of the criminal charges against him dropped, exonerating him of the accusations that, according to DeMartino’s attorney, destroyed his livelihood.

County prosecutors, who last month filed a 14-count indictment against DeMartino stemming from allegations that he broke an order of protection, and harassed and physically abused his girlfriend, determined that she fabricated the threatening texts sent to her.

Assistant District Attorney Jed Painter of the D.A.’s animal crimes unit said at the Nassau County Courthouse last Wednesday that in light of the “completely fictitious” messages submitted to the police, the assault, aggravated harassment and contempt charges against DeMartino had no merit. As a result, the physical abuse charges against DeMartino were also dropped at the request of prosecutors.

Additionally, Painter said that after consulting with both local and national dog training experts, he had determined that video evidence shared online, which appeared to show DeMartino repeatedly violently jabbing a clearly scared, cowering dog -which he had locked in a cage - with a pole, was not enough to warrant animal abuse charges.

This is bull! Give us the names of these "local and national dog training experts" who would tell you that this is not abuse. If BRIAN DEMARTINO did that to my dog, he would be singing soprano in the Vienna boys' choir by the time I got done with him. 

WATCH THIS VIDEO
ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY

JED PAINTER SAYS THIS ISN'T ANIMAL CRUELTY!

All that remained was a single count of aggravated harassment related to threatening texts sent to Tommy Marrone, the Oceanside resident and former NYPD detective who posted the footage to Facebook in December — sent to him by DeMartino’s girlfriend — of the dog trainer jabbing the caged pit bull as the animal appeared to lunge and bite.

Marrone had previously sent his dog to DeMartino for training, and out of concern for his and others’ pets, shared the video online. It would soon go viral, and the original post has garnered more than 100,000 views. DeMartino would later send a series of threatening texts to Marrone in April.

Many other people came forward to say that, after sending their dog to DeMartino to be trained, their animal was returned to them with teeth knocked out, with open wounds on their heads that DeMartino claimed was from another dog biting it. They say they all believe DeMartino beat, tortured and abused their dog, just like the dog in this video.

On the condition that DeMartino pleaded guilty to the harassment charge and spend eight weeks in an anger-management program, County Judge Meryl Berkowitz agreed to reduce the misdemeanor to a violation upon his completion of the course. She then explained that his record would be sealed and hidden from the public.

Go ahead Judge Berkowitz, seal the record and hide his criminal record from the public. The video showing him abusing and torturing animals will be available forever.

Berkowitz praised the prosecutors for their thoughtful and independent investigation. Their work represented, she said, “the highest form of justice and ethics [the D.A.’s] office could display.”

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(LI Herald - June 13, 2017)

Ohio: Little girl and babysitter in serious condition after pit bull attack; neighbor saved them by running over and shooting the dog

OHIO -- A local girl is in serious condition after she was mauled by a dog.
The six year old is recovering at the University of Michigan Medical Center.

The attack happened at a home in the three thousand block of Woodhurst. It's an emotional time for the parents of the little girl.

Her father says the babysitter is like a member of the family. She was also seriously injured while trying to stop the dog.

6-year year old Aria Walz and her babysitter Allison Parsons are very close. They are recovering from serious dog bite injuries.

Wednesday they planned to go to Imagination Station. They stopped by Parsons' home to let out her boyfriend's roommate's dog.

It attacked the little girl.

A neighbor heard screams and ran over to try to fend off the pit bull mix.

According to a police report the dog bit the little girl on the coat. The babysitter thought the dog was playing, but then it grabbed the little girl by the face and began shaking his head violently. 

Aria's father says Allison tried to open the dogs mouth, but he bit her fingers. She suffered severe wounds to hand.

Aria's father says he tries not to think about what could have happened to his daughter if the neighbor didn't shoot the dog. Shaun Soleau tried to stop the attack with a broom, but the dog wouldn't let go.

Soleau pulled his handgun and fired it four times. One of the bullets hit the dog in the hip.

Aria had surgery at the University of Michigan medical center. Her left arm is broken. She has puncture wounds everywhere. Doctors will have to wait to see whether there's any nerve damage to her face.

(13abc - April 6, 2017)

Tennessee: Illegal aliens Luis Mendoza, Francisco Flores and Hector Mendoza await criminal court after beating, torturing and stabbing dog

TENNESSEE -- The health of Smokey the German shepherd is improving every day. The future may not be so bright for three men accused of severely abusing the animal.

The defendants charged with felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, 32-year-old Francisco Pultarco Flores, 27-year-old Luis Hernandez Mendoza and 25-year-old Hector C. Mendoza, had preliminary hearings scheduled Wednesday in General Sessions Court.

The men waived their hearings, and evidence in the case will be presented to a Greene County grand jury. Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr. set Nov. 30 Criminal Court appearance dates for Flores and the Mendozas.

In addition to aggravated cruelty to animals, the men are also charged with vandalism over $500 and theft over $500 in connection with the case.

Bailey told citizens who came to court looking for punishment for the defendants that the earliest Flores and the Mendozas will go to trial would be January 2017.

The information was relayed to the defendants through interpreters.

The attack on the 7-year-old German shepherd happened Aug. 14 inside the men's apartment in the 7900 block of Asheville Highway. It was interrupted by sheriff's deputies investigating a drunk and disorderly call. Deputies arrived just in time to save the dog's life, Greeneville-Greene County Humane Society representatives said.

Smokey is back at home with his owners, Elaine and Lester Darnell, and his wounds are healing, the couple said Wednesday outside the courtroom.

The three defendants are not U.S. citizens. Their status in this country is being investigated by immigration officials, Sheriff Pat Hankins said.

Update: Confirmed they are all three Mexican illegal aliens.

It's still not known why the dog was attacked in a bathroom in the apartment where the men lived.

 

"I think it's just sickening that anybody would be that cruel to an animal. I don't understand why anybody would do that," Hankins said.

ATTACK ON DOG
Smokey lives on White Sands Road with the Darnells. When a thunderstorm blew in on the night of Aug. 14, they were not home. Elaine Darnell said she and her husband returned to put Smokey inside the house because he is afraid of storms, but the dog had already jumped a fenced-in enclosure.

Smokey apparently ran about a quarter-mile to the 7900 block of Asheville Highway, where he encountered Flores and the Mendozas.

 

As deputies entered the apartment, they saw the three men in a rear bathroom, a report said.

When deputies opened a bedroom door, the three men turned toward them and a "shepherd- to medium-size dog came running from the bathtub," the report stated.

The dog "had several cuts and punctures about its body," the report said.

 

"One of the males was holding a bloody knife and the other was holding a long wooden stick, both being stained with blood," it added.

Smokey had several cuts and punctures to his body. He had been beaten, stabbed repeatedly in the face, neck and body while trapped in the bathroom with the three men. 

Blood was all over the floor of the apartment’s bathroom - it looked like a murder scene. 

According to sheriff's department, the theft charge relates to the men "taking control" of the 7-year-old dog, which is valued at more than $500 and is the property of the Darnells, who have been nursing him back to health with the help of Dr. Hope Fann, the veterinarian who has been treating Smokey since the night of Aug. 14.

The vandalism charge relates to the physical damage done to the dog.

 

 

ANIMAL ADVOCATES
At least 10 people were in the courtroom Wednesday afternoon to urge the court to prosecute Flores and the Mendozas to the full extent of the law. Bailey explained that since the men are charged with felonies, they could not enter guilty pleas in General Sessions Court. The charges will be resolved in Criminal Court after evidence is presented to a grand jury.

The Darnells and Fann were among those in the courtroom.

Elaine Darnell said she and her husband will let the legal system run its course.
"The officer explained how this works and that they waived their rights (to a preliminary hearing) so we kind of expected it," she said.

 

Smokey's stitches were removed Monday "and some of his hair is growing back," Darnell said.

After he was injured, Smokey had drainage tubes placed in his head and neck area, along with stitches applied to close multiple lacerations and cuts.

"Smokey seems to be doing well physically from his check-up appointment," Fann said.

 

Several Humane Society representatives were also in court, including Amy Bowman, shelter manager who took Smokey to the Greene County Veterinary Medical Center where he was treated by Fann the night he was wounded.

'JUSTICE FOR SMOKEY'
"The main thing is we just want justice for Smokey and hopefully we will get that in January," Bowman said after the court proceeding.

Bowman was appreciative that members of the community attended the court hearing. Among them was Gypsy Tweed, who circulated a petition on Change.org signed by more than 3,000 people asking that the defendants "be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

That could mean up to two years in jail for each defendant, according to the law.

"I'm not a huge rabble-rouser but I have two (rescue) greyhounds and to me, it was just blatant, brutal and horrible. It was just ill intent and mean to go to all the effort to get somebody else's dog," Tweed said. "If you get them deported, you don't know if they will serve their time and I want them to serve their time here."

Prosecutors said Flores and the Mendozas would remain in the U.S. at least until the legal process is complete.

Meanwhile, the men remain held on $17,000 bond each in the Greene County Detention Center, where they likely will remain until their cases are resolved.

(Greenville Sun - Sept 1, 2016)

Earlier:

• Tennessee: Luis Mendoza, Francisco Flores and Hector Mendoza found in bathroom beating, torturing and stabbing dog

Washington: Young woman protects baby from pit bull attack; is viciously mauled

WASHINGTON -- They say that bad things always seem to happen to good people, and I’m beginning to think that this is very true.

My niece, Felicia Renee Hambrick a recent graduate from Pacific Lutheran University located in Parkland, Washington was viciously attacked this past weekend while babysitting her best friend’s 3 kids.

This brave beautiful young lady who stands 4’11 and weighs 115lbs sacrificed her body without hesitating to turn on her fight-to-flight adrenaline just to shield the infant from the Pit bull’s unforeseen attack.

Felicia was not a stranger to the dog, nor was she taunting the dog. In fact, the dog was in another room with the door closed until somehow the door got opened and the dog escaped. The dog ran directly towards Felicia and the baby. Felicia immediately sensed that the dog was after her, and not the baby, but her main concern was that the baby would also be injured as she was holding her.

Before she could escape out of the dog’s way, she instantly sheltered her body around the baby by turning her back and securing the baby using her arms to protect the infant from the dog’s brutal attack.

 

 

 

While Felicia desperately tried fending off the dog – the dog aggressively continued biting her arms, thighs, calf, behind her knee fold (right where the knee bends), her stomach, and her neck.

Her friend’s mother who came to help was able to beat the dog with a broom long enough to get the baby away and continued beating the dog off of Felicia. A nearby neighbor heard Felicia screaming and called 911.

 

 

The vicious attack (which Felicia stated it felt like 15-20 minutes) has unfortunately left my niece’s body permanently scarred for the rest of her life. Her path to recovery will be a long and painful one.

Before this attack, Felicia was seeking a job at Tacoma General Hospital (TG) so that she could start helping her mother Robbyn Young pay for her educational student loans. Felicia never imagined that instead of finding a job at TG she would be spending time as a patient there instead.

 

Now she will be facing a much long unexpected road to recovery which will include several surgeries, skin graphs, muscle/tendon repair, plastic surgery, and months of mental & physical therapy.

Unfortunately, the most painful memory of all will be the constant reminder of seeing the 30-40 bites and gouges that cover her body which are now considered her battle scars.

My niece, who is blessed to have survived, is my little brave hero who will need her family & friend’s to surround her with love and support. Together we all can change this bad situation that happened to a sweet caring and helpful person into a positive outcome.

 

 

On behalf of the love that I have for my nieces (her strong supportive mother: Robbyn Young & my great niece - Felicia Hambrick), I ask those who are able to please find it in your heart to donate to this much needed GoFundMe account. No donation is too small, AND all of the donations will go towards the cost of Felicia’s surgeries, post therapy and entire medical expenses. Any remaining funds will be applied to her educational loans.

Thank you in advance for your prayers, donations, love and support!

Sincerely,
Rachel Vaughan

 

 

Update 1
Hello all! I first want to thank all of you who have sent in donations to help out my niece! I', as well as Felicia, her mom Robbyn am emotionally overwhelmed with the out-pour from the love & caring messages, the prayers, and most of all your financial donations! We remain grateful for all of the support received! Thank you - Rachel

It's time to keep all of the donors and supporters informed on this brave super gal's progress!....Here she is smiling while holding this blessed baby - Baby Sophia! I watched in the hospital how this baby loves & adores Felicia. I'm learning from my niece exactly what unconditional love really means. See for yourself what true love really looks like... Two Angels reunited!

Zakiya Soleil donates $1,000 but then says "And no one wants the dog put down. I know I don't."

GoFundMe page: Felicia Hambrick's Medical Donation