Washington: Pit bull mauled man in a car, then jumped out car's open window to continue attack

PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON -- A man is recovering from a brutal dog attack in Pierce County.

Pierce County Sheriff deputies said the victim had several deep bite marks on his face, arms, and legs.

The department said on Wednesday, a deputy responded to a 911 call reporting a dog attack in progress in the 15500 block of 119th Ave. Ct. E. in Puyallup's South Hill neighborhood.

When the deputy arrived on scene, deputies said the victim was on the ground covered in blood and neighbors, like Jon Zemanek, were trying to help the victim.

Zemanek said he heard screams for help and ran outside thinking it was his dog thatwas loose, but he saw the pit bull attacking the man by his front yard and he didn't hesitate to help.

"The first thing I could think of was to grab his jaw and try to pull,” said Zemanek.

Zemanek still has the punctures from the pit bull's teeth sinking into his fingers.

He tried to pry the dog's jaw off a man's arm before grabbing a metal pry bar.

“Lot of shaking myself,” said Zemanek. “I couldn’t believe I did what I did."

Deputies said the victim and a woman had been "playfully" arguing in a car when the dog lunged at the man and bit him in the face.

They pulled over by Zemanek’s yard, the man ran out but the dog went after him.

At one point neighbors said they helped the woman get the dog back into her car, but it jumped out of an open window, ran after the man again, caught him and began mauling him a second time.

"There was a lot of blood, there was a lot of blood all over,” said Zemanek.

A responding deputy finally fired shots at the dog, killing it after it let go then started circling the man, ready to attack again.

Neighbors said the whole situation was so frantic and uncontrollable; they don't think there was any other way to stop the dog.

“I never like to see an animal get put down unless it absolutely has too,” said Zemanek.

(KOMO News - May 4, 2018)

Florida: Utility worker beats Pug to death; claims it bit him

FLORIDA -- On Valentine’s Day, a young woman’s small dog was killed by a Gainesville Regional Utilities employee who hit with a pry bar.

In a Facebook post, with more than 500 shares, Kiley Walker said it took two more days before she learned how her pug, Bentley, died.

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) officials claimed to The Sun that the event was unfortunate and that the dog, accompanied by a pit bull mix, became aggressive, leaving the employee with few options.

GRU is not releasing the employee’s name because of what they claim were  online threats.

Billy Gault, a meter operations supervisor, said it’s the first such incident he’s encountered during his 20-plus-year career.

“We’re not out to hurt or harm any dogs,” he said. “We’re out there just trying to do our job.”

On Feb. 14, Doug Mercer, GRU’s utility operations manager, said a truck dropped off meter readers on Northwest 35th Street. He said two dogs quickly came running down the block, headed for the GRU workers and appeared to suddenly become aggressive.

Mercer claims the Pug was biting a GRU employee’s leg, while the larger dog started to growl. The employee then [beat the small dog with an 18-inch metal pry bar] used to lift manholes, he said.

GRU officials say the employee followed protocol and training received from Bulli Ray, a company that specializes in training employees around the country on how to avoid dog attacks.

David Warm, a GRU spokesman, said the utility had at least three employees bitten in 2017, one that sent a man to UF Health Shands Hospital. GRU has logged about 30 dog bites over the last 10 years, he added.

Mercer said the GRU employee will not be disciplined.

“He was trying to defend himself from two loose dogs that weren’t at its residence,” he said. “They were running loose in the neighborhood.”

Walker, in her Facebook post, said she questioned the workers after finding her dog, but wasn’t given any answers. Gault said Walker left the scene, distraught, carrying her dog, assuming a car ran him over.

Two days later, GRU officials told Walker what happened.

“There is no excuse for this kind of animal cruelty,” Walker wrote. “A grown man thought he needed to defend himself against a pug who isn’t even 25 pounds. Bentley should have not been hit so hard that he was killed. This is animal cruelty being swept under the rug.”

Walker has received a wide amount of support and condolences on her post, with some suggesting she sue the city-owned utility.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Gault said. “We are very sorry for what happened.”

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Kiley Walker posted on Facebook February 20, 2018 ·

This year on Valentine’s Day my baby boy Bentley was killed by a worker for the Gainesville Regional Utilities, FL (GRU).

Without my roommates and I knowing, our lawn guys left the back gate open after mowing the yard Wednesday morning. Bentley and Luna (a roommates dog) were let outside to play. They escaped through the open gate and began to roam the neighborhood without any of us knowing.

As soon as we realized they were missing, we immediately started running around the neighborhood looking for them. Luna was found but Bentley was not.

My roommate noticed a few GRU trucks and workers down the street and decided to go ask if they’d seen anything, and when she approached them they seemed flustered. They asked if she was looking for a pug and when she said yes they said he was laying up here. She ran up to find Bentley’s limp body in the grass.

She asked them repeatedly if they knew what happened to him and each time they mentioned there were cars driving by and the dogs chasing a meter stick but never clearly addressed what had killed him. We assumed that whoever did it hit and run in a car.

On Friday, 2 supervisors of GRU came by my house to inform my roommates and I that Bentley had in fact not been hit by a car but that a worker that was on scene during the accident had really struck and hit him with a meter stick, and that was what killed him.

He claimed that Bentley (a pug) was charging them and this was an act of self defense. Anyone who knows Bentley knows that he was the sweetest boy. There is no excuse for this kind of animal cruelty.

A grown man thought he needed to defend himself against a pug who isn't even 25 pounds. Bentley should have not been hit so hard that he was killed. This is animal cruelty being swept under the rug.

The workers of this company let my roommates and I believe that someone had hit my sweet Bentley in a car, all the while they sat and watched us cry over his dead body knowing what they had done but said nothing.

And still they continue to do nothing about the situation. They will not release this awful mans name to me. Please help share bentleys story to protect future innocent animals and bring justice to my little man. #JusticeForBentleyBoy

Note: Unfortunately, unless a witness comes forward or someone nearby had surveillance cameras, this guy is going to get away with it. She needs to sue them in order to force them to provide her with documentation showing that this guy actually went to a doctor and was bitten. He needs to be deposed by her attorney, his coworker needs deposed. His criminal history needs to be looked in to. Yes, you have a right to defend yourself if attacked by a dog, but give me a break... a Pug?! 


North Carolina: Plumber is fired from PF Plumbing for viciously kicking client's dog in the face, but what about the coworker who saw it and never told his employer what this guy had done???


Texas: Entergy utilities employee caught on camera pepper spraying small dog


Texas: CenterPoint worker caught on tape for animal cruelty

Texas: Homeowner calling for changes after Entergy worker pepper sprays her dogs

(Gainesville Sun - February 21, 2018)

Connecticut: Reynaldo Castro, 24, faces animal cruelty, attempted assault charges

CONNECTICUT -- A local man faces charges after police say he accidentally struck a dog with a tire iron while trying to hit a roommate.

Reynaldo Luis Castro, 24, of 32 Cook Ave., Apt. B22, was arrested Sunday and charged with animal cruelty, attempt to commit second-degree assault, third-degree assault, and disorderly conduct. He has not entered a plea to the charges.

Castro, who had injuries to his face, went to the police department on Sunday around 9:30 p.m. to report being assaulted by a man staying at his apartment, said police spokesman Sgt. Darrin McKay said.

While outside at the police department, officers saw a man and woman walking a dog with an injury to its head. The woman told police she and the man were staying with Castro and in the process of moving out. An argument arose over ownership of furniture and Castro attacked the man, trying to hit him with a tire iron. Castro missed, instead striking the dog, causing swelling and a cut, McKay said The man also had injuries to his face.

Castro was told by officers to remain at the police department while they investigated at the apartment. He returned to the apartment while officers were there, McKay said. Upon arriving, Castro lunged at the man he was previously in a confrontation with, but officers restrained him and took Castro into custody.

Castro was arraigned at Meriden Superior Court on Monday and released on $20,000 bond. A protective order was issued by the judge. Castro is due back in court on Feb. 22.

(My Record Journal - Feb 2, 2016)

Illinois: Psychotic Waukegan alderman Larry TenPas used tire iron to beat sick raccoon to death, insists it was "humane"

ILLINOIS -- A Waukegan resident waiting for an animal control officer to pick up a sick raccoon says she was horrified instead to observe Ald. Larry TenPas beat the animal to death with a tire iron.

The resident, Carol Alleman, called police to report the incident last month and said she remains unhappy that officials decided against pursuing charges against the 6th Ward alderman, who had disposed of the dead raccoon before authorities arrived.

A neighbor, Charles Rush, complained to the City Council on Monday that TenPas was not cited with violating any wildlife or animal abuse law.

"I'm sorry to report that our alderman ... was not licensed to take that upon himself to act in this way," Rush said.

Waukegan Police Cmdr. Joseph Florip confirmed that TenPas does not hold the required state permit to handle wildlife.

"We take animals in this community very seriously," Florip said. "The use of force is always an unpleasant experience."

Alleman called the city's Animal Control department at about 9:20 a.m. Nov. 14 to report that a raccoon appeared disoriented on property along Douglas Court, behind her house, according to the police report. An animal control officer told her that she could not come immediately but would arrive later that morning, Alleman said.

Alleman had planned to watch the animal until the officer arrived and ran inside to change clothes. As she prepared to head back outside, she said, she observed a man from her window who she identified minutes later as TenPas "whaling" on the raccoon.

"I saw him hit it 12 times at least," said Alleman, who remained inside her home while on the phone with police. "The raccoon was suffering. It was trying to get away from him and it wasn't able to. … I was sickened."

She said that she saw TenPas attempt to put the raccoon in a box, but "it was still twitching" so he beat it a few more times.

TenPas, 81, said he took matters into his own hands after receiving a call from another resident.

TenPas, who has been an alderman for more than 40 years, said he believed the raccoon was showing signs of rabies or distemper by its erratic behavior and "I was concerned about the safety of kids in the neighborhood."

"I thought, I can take care of it. I take care of many problems in my ward," he said. "Thinking about it, I could have done it a little differently."

TenPas said the raccoon died quickly, disputing Alleman's description of events.

"One blow. One did it, dear," he initially said. Later, he stated that he hit the animal "maybe two or three times." He put the raccoon in a box and disposed of it, he said.

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, raccoons do not generally pose a threat to humans but can be carriers of rabies, which is fatal if not treated quickly. Raccoons, usually nocturnal, also show abnormal behavior when infected with distemper, which can infect domestic cats and dogs.

The department advises on its website that "members of the general public should not handle wildlife. Wild animals can inflict serious injury, and they can be carriers of disease and parasites that are transmittable to humans and domestic animals."

Bob Bluett, wildlife biologist with the state DNR, said getting rid of nuisance wildlife requires a permit.

"We certainly recognize that wildlife can be a problem," he said. "Under these particular circumstances, a person (with a permit) could take a raccoon out of season, although a tire iron is not a recommended method of euthanasia, but could be allowable under the circumstances."

Spotting a raccoon out in the daytime is unusual, but "the last case we had of a raccoon with rabies was 20 to 30 years ago," Bluett said.

More likely, distemper could have caused the raccoon to behave abnormally, experts said. A raccoon with distemper typically is not aggressive, Bluett said.

Distemper would eventually kill the animal, Bluett said. It's not transferable to humans and most pets are inoculated against it. The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or their body fluids or feces, according to the agency.

TenPas used a garden hose to clean the raccoon's blood off the sidewalk, Alleman told police. The animal control officer, who arrived at about 10:45 a.m. that day, stated in a police report obtained by Alleman: "I was able to observe several bloody pieces of the raccoon scattered on the sidewalk."

TenPas said he holds the authority to dispose of a sick animal.

"As an alderman, I do have police powers," TenPas said. "It's not like a citizen doing it, but when somebody calls me, I come. I take care of problems. Why do you think I've been alderman for 40 years?"

Mayor Wayne Motley said aldermen are not authorized to take care of nuisance animals.

But Motley added that TenPas told him he felt it was an emergency. Motley said he would not have a problem if a regular citizen did the same thing.

Alleman said that she is afraid of TenPas and believes that he has tried to intimidate her for filing the police report. She said that the day of the incident, he drove slowly by her home and stared at her as she sat on her porch.

TenPas said he had not been aware that anyone saw him kill the raccoon and felt bad about it later, after hearing from police.

"I wanted to go up to the door and apologize," he said. "Then I thought, I might scare her again. I don't intimidate people."

(Chicago Tribune - ‎Dec 10, 2015‎)

6/27/13: Florida man gets 14 years for beating friend's dog to death with tire iron

FLORIDA -- A Florida sicko has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for beating a shop owner's beloved dog to death with a tire iron.

Kevin Koscielniak, 52, pleaded no contest to the charges including animal cruelty and armed burglary in Sarasota court Wednesday, the local Herald-Tribune newspaper reported.

The walls and ceiling of John's Automotive on Snug Harbor Place were spattered with blood after Koscielniak broke into the shop on April 27 and bludgeoned owner John Olaya's mastiff, Ashton, to death.

The brute sold scrap metal he collected at the shop, but had been kicked off the property earlier in the day for showing up drunk, the newspaper reported.

Security footage showed him climbing a barbed wire fence and breaking into the shop after it had closed for the day.

According to WFLA.com, Olaya saw footage of Koscielniak beating his dog to death.

The 4-year-old pup's battered remains were later found buried on an adjacent property. A bloody blanket was discovered in Koscielniak's truck.

"This was a senseless act of violence indicative of a depraved mind," state prosecutor Art Jackman said.

Koscielniak is a career thug with a long rap sheet, including busts for burglary and battery, according to the Herald-Tribune.

(NY Daily News - June 27, 2013)

NOTE: Iowa, take notice. Beating an animal to death is animal cruelty! ("Appeals Court: Beating a puppy to death with baseball bat is not torture")

Earlier:

• Deputies: Man beat boss’ dog to death in Sarasota

David Michael Matson beat puppy to death, admits to killing another 5 or 6

TENNESSEE -- An animal rescue group director who prefers to remain anonymous is spreading the word about a man accused of seeking out dogs and violently killing them.

David Michael Matson is due in court next month for aggravated animal cruelty, but some worry other animals are at risk.

David Michael Matson

"People are absolutely sickened and scared," said the anonymous director. "People like this are out there cruising for animals to pick up and kill. We are speaking for those who don't have voices of their own. We have to stand up for those animals."

Lebanon police said last November, Matson was spotted in the wooded area behind the Cumberland Street McDonalds covered in blood. After initially claiming he'd fallen on a rock, police said Matson admitted to picking up a puppy in Alexandria, beating it to death with a tire iron and then throwing the small animal against a tree.

"This one's very scary because he's right here in Middle Tennessee," said the director. "He's admitted to doing it."

Police add Matson claimed he was angry he was passed up for a promotion at the National Weather Service and admitted to killing another five or six dogs. The report quotes Matson as asking officers if they ever wanted to hurt animals or maybe children.

Police said while rambling, Matson also brought up the unsolved shooting death of Sara McPhearson at a Mt. Juliet U-Store-It from the day before and then changed the subject again. Mt. Juliet police said they do not believe Matson is connected to the murder.

We spoke with Matson at his home in Old Hickory, where he declined to appear on camera but did tell us he's on paid administrative leave at the National Weather Service until his case is resolved.

The National Weather Service said they're legally unable to comment on Matson's case.

Matson's case has been bound over to the grand jury. His arraignment is set for May 24.

(WSMV - April 30, 2013)