Man wanted for murder now faces new felony charges after his dogs maul neighbor to death in vicious attack



A Texas man — who is already facing murder charges in a separate case — was hit with new felony charges after his three dogs allegedly mauled a 65-year-old woman to death.

Marshall Garrett, 38, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with three counts of criminal negligent failure to secure his dogs.

Neighbors allegedly told investigators that Garrett's dogs often escaped from their enclosure and were aggressive.

On March 23, Harriette Phillips was walking on her property and was "scanning her backyard looking for something," according to home security video reviewed by police. She was hitting her fence with a hammer, according to court documents.

Suddenly, it "appeared that the defendant's dogs had broken through her fence," according to court records obtained by ABC News.

Three Staffordshire Bull Terriers reportedly attacked Phillips, and she began to scream. She attempted to defend herself by swinging the hammer at the animals.

Det. Ramon Garcia with the Houston Police Department noted that the dogs began "mauling her head, neck area, arms, elbows, and other parts of her body until the complainant was unable to move anymore or scream for help."

The dogs mauled Phillips to death.

Garrett did not witness the attacks but "realized what occurred afterward and called 911," according to court records.

Citing the criminal complaint, People magazine reported that investigators allegedly found the woman's hair and pieces of her clothing inside the stomachs of the dogs.

The three dogs were euthanized under a Texas law that calls for any animal that bites a person to be quarantined for 10 days or euthanized.

On the same day as the fatal dog attack, another neighbor reportedly texted Garrett that he saw the dogs in Phillips' yard. Court docs stated that Garrett replied: "Oh lord, I'm about to get it resolved."

Neighbors allegedly told investigators that Garrett's dogs often escaped from their enclosure and were aggressive. One neighbor told officers with the Houston Police Department that she had recently been bitten by one of the dogs on her finger while attempting to repair a hole in her fence, court documents stated.

Court documents revealed that Garrett is also facing a murder charge from a previous incident.

On Oct. 29, 2024, Garrett allegedly beat a 69-year-old man to death.

Alton Martin and his fiancée met Latrecia Washington in a parking lot and sold her jewelry, KHOU-TV reported.

Washington allegedly attempted to pawn the jewelry but was informed that the jewelry was fake.

Washington tracked down Martin and his fiancée at a store, court documents said. Washington allegedly used her car to block the couple's car in the parking lot.

Martin's fiancée reportedly told authorities that Washington walked Martin out of the store at knifepoint.

Court documents revealed that Washington and Garrett beat Martin with either the handle of a knife or a metal pipe.

Martin died 12 days after the attack. The medical examiner said Martin's cause of death was blunt-force trauma to his head.

Washington reportedly remains at large.

Garrett was arrested for the alleged fatal beating and then released on bond, according to court records. Garrett is now back in jail.

Garrett allegedly has previously been convicted of several criminal offenses, including burglary, criminal trespass, evading arrest, possession of marijuana, and unlawful use of a criminal instrument.

You can watch a local newscast from KRPC-TV regarding the fatal dog mauling here.

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6 Lessons From A Once-Reluctant Backyard Chicken Farmer

Two years ago, I gave in to my wife’s passion for backyard eggs. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Female arrested after her dementia-stricken mother, 76, was mauled to death in home with 54 dogs



A Colorado woman is facing criminal charges in connection to the mauling death of her elderly mother by 54 dogs in their home, according to authorities.

Officers with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office arrested 47-year-old Jessica Hoff on Friday — more than a month after 76-year-old LaVonne Hoff was found mauled to death in the home they shared in Colorado City.

Police said the victim suffered from dementia and 'required 24-hour care.'

The daughter reportedly was charged with criminal negligence resulting in the death of an at-risk adult. She also was charged with 54 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals — one count for each of the dogs found inside the home.

Hoff was booked into the Pueblo County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to jail records.

On Feb. 3, deputies with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an unconscious woman. Officers found the 76-year-old dead at the crime scene as well as dozens of dogs "running loose in the home."

Autopsy results determined that the cause of the elderly woman's death was wounds suffered during the dog attack.

Police said the victim suffered from dementia and "required 24-hour care."

The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, "Sheriff’s detectives conducted an extensive investigation and learned that Jessica Hoff had left her mother at home alone with her dogs that day while she went to Pueblo to run errands."

Detectives determined that the pack of dogs mauled to death the dementia-stricken mother after her at home alone.

Detectives executed a search warrant on the home and reportedly found 54 dogs and seven birds.

The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office noted that the dogs and birds were found "living in unsanitary conditions, and several of the dogs were in poor health."

A county animal agency later seized the neglected dogs.

Hoff is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States, according to DogBite.org. Of the victims, nearly 1,000 require medical treatment at a hospital for nonfatal dog bite-related injuries each day.

Between 2011 and 2021, a total of 468 Americans died from being bitten or struck by a dog, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Florida woman couldn't take her dog on flight — so she drowned animal in airport bathroom: Police



A Florida woman was told she could not bring her dog aboard a flight departing Orlando International Airport, so she drowned her dog in an airport bathroom, according to police.

Alison Agatha Lawrence, 57, was arrested March 18. She was charged with aggravated animal abuse — a third-degree felony, according to an arrest record.

'This is not a bottle of water or an oversized bottle of shampoo.'

Lawrence was taken into custody in Clermont and then transported to the Lake County Jail. She was released after posting a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.

On Dec. 16, 2024, officers with the Orlando Police Department responded to reports that an airport employee found a "dead animal" inside a woman's public restroom located before the security checkpoint.

WESH-TV reported that Lawrence brought her small, white, 9-year-old Miniature Schnauzer dog named Tywinn to the Orlando International Airport to board a flight to Bogota, Colombia.

Police said surveillance video shows Lawrence and her dog at the airport talking with an airline employee.

"Sources said she was trying to board a flight but didn’t have the right paperwork to allow the dog to board and couldn’t take it," WFTV-TV reported.

Sources told the news outlet that Lawrence allegedly drowned her pet in an airport bathroom.

Lawrence "is believed to have taken extreme and tragic action by killing the dog," the Orlando Police Department stated.

Officers were reportedly taken to a trash bag containing the dead dog and several dog accessories.

A female airport employee allegedly told police that she saw a woman sitting on the bathroom floor of a stall, cleaning up "a lot of water and a lot of dog food."

The employee had to tend to a "cleanup emergency," but when she returned approximately 20 minutes later, she reportedly witnessed Lawrence exit the stall and leave with a purse and suitcase.

At that time, the employee removed the trash bag from the canister and discovered the dead dog because the bag was heavier than normal, according to the affidavit. WOFL-TV reported that the dog's body "was wet and warm."

A necropsy was performed later, and it was determined that the dog likely died from drowning.

Animal services used the dog's microchip to locate Lawrence.

Police said Lawerence's name and contact information were on the dog tag of the deceased animal. The name on the dog tag matched Lawrence's passport that she used to board her flight.

After the dog's death, Lawrence proceeded through security and eventually boarded her flight to Colombia, the probable cause statement said.

"The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority fully cooperates with all law enforcement officials regarding possible criminal activity on airport property," a spokesperson for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority stated.

Bryan Wilson — of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida — told WKMG-TV, “Obviously, we were shocked when we heard a woman had effectively drowned her companion animal all because she couldn’t get on a plane. This is not a bottle of water or an oversized bottle of shampoo.”

You can watch a local newscast from WESH regarding the dead dog here.

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'Savage' pit bulls with cocaine in their systems kill gardening grandmother in 'gruesome' mauling: Lawsuit



An Ohio grandmother was viciously mauled to death by a pair of "savage" pit bulls last year while she was gardening, according to a recently filed lawsuit. The pit bulls reportedly had cocaine in their systems at the time of the deadly dog attack.

Jo Ann Echelbarger, 73, was killed by the pit bulls on Oct. 17. The fatal dog attack took place at the Reserve at Ashton Village — a residential complex in Ashville.

'This case involves the most vicious and savage dog mauling in the history of the state of Ohio and perhaps beyond.'

According to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Echelbarger's family on March 13, the pit bulls "ran around the Reserve's common areas, eventually attacking Jo Ann while she was peacefully gardening."

Echelbarger reportedly was dismembered in the grisly attack.

The elderly woman's 84-year-old husband — who is suffering from Parkinson's and dementia and uses a wheelchair — was not able to help his wife and witnessed the vicious mauling from inside a screened-in porch.

Echelbarger was rushed to the hospital, where she died later that day. Her husband's health reportedly has deteriorated since his wife's death, and he's now in hospice care.

The lawsuit notes that even after responding police officers shot one of the dogs, the animal returned to attack Echelbarger.

Ashville Police Department officers and county sheriff's deputies ultimately shot and killed the pit bulls.

What's more, medical reports found that the pit bulls had cocaine in their systems at the time of the "gruesome" dog attack, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

'How do you not look at them as a villain responsible for killing your mom?'

The owners of the dogs — Adam Withers and his mother, Susan Withers — in February were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter as well as failure to confine and control vicious dogs.

Adam Withers also was arrested for disorderly conduct weeks before the fatal dog attack. Police reportedly said he was acting erratically and his two dogs were running loose in the condo complex.

On Sept. 27, 2024, officers with the Ashville Police Department encountered Withers and his two dogs — who appeared impaired and couldn't stand up.

Withers allegedly admitted to officers that he had snorted cocaine in his garage with his dogs in his presence.

Police bodycam footage shows an officer asking Withers, "Have they ever been exposed to your drugs before, Adam?"

Withers is seen in the video asking the officers to give Narcan to his two dogs.

"I'm not narcaning a dog," the officer replied.

"He's on cocaine and very impaired," an Ashville police officer is heard saying about Withers in the police bodycam video.

The officer allegedly called the Humane Society to collect the dogs but didn't receive an answer. The officer said the dog warden "won't come get them."

The dog warden told WSYX-TV that the officer canceled the request for assistance that same night.

'... some of the most gruesome videos one could ever envision.'

In addition, just weeks before the deadly mauling, a judge ordered the dogs' owners to remove them from the home after several complaints to the homeowners' association, WCMH-TV reported. However, the dogs reportedly were never removed.

USA Today reported that one of the pit bulls attacked another neighbor and killed her goldendoodle dog in October 2023.

Rex H. Elliott — the attorney representing Echelbarger's family — told WSYX-TV, "This case involves the most vicious and savage dog mauling in the history of the state of Ohio and perhaps beyond."

A lawsuit filed in Pickaway County on Wednesday accused the Reserve at Ashton Village Condominium Association and the Pickaway County dog warden of neglect in the grandmother's death.

"The fact is that if the dog warden or condo association had done their jobs, Jo Ann Echelbarger would be alive today, and her family would not have to live with this profound loss or the constant memory of the horrific nature in which she was killed," Elliott said. "These failures resulted in the death of a wonderful 73-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother."

The filing stated, "Part of Jo Ann's harm was the extreme and severe conscious physical and mental pain and suffering she experienced in the moments before, during, and after being viciously attacked and prior to her death. Part of this was caught on some of the most gruesome videos one could ever envision."

Echelbarger's son, Bill Rogers, told WSYX-TV that the officials' response that day was “reckless.”

"I feel like they were gambling with a lot of people's lives that day," Rogers said. "And she was the one who paid the price."

Rogers said of the dog owners, "How do you not look at them as a villain responsible for killing your mom? I'll tell you the truth. I want to make my statement and look him right in the eyes as I do it."

Earlene Romine, the victim's daughter, said, "She did not deserve this. She was tortured, and she suffered. This is not what you expect your parent to go through. This is not what you expect to happen to anyone you love."

The wrongful death suit is demanding compensatory damages exceeding $25,000 as well as punitive damages of an amount to be revealed at trial.

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Drug raid turns bloody after pit bulls maul officers, police bodycam video shows



Pit bulls mauled several Massachusetts cops last week during a police raid at a snack shop, according to police bodycam video.

Around 1 p.m. March 5, officers with the Webster Police Department as well as FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mr. Exotix's snack retail shop

The police chief urged the courts to subject both suspects to the maximum penalty allowable.

The search warrant was granted after a several-months-long investigation into the sale and distribution of narcotics from the store.

“When you see it's a business and selling marijuana products to minors, that's very disturbing,” Webster police Chief Mike Shaw told WCVB-TV.

Police said they were "met with heavy resistance" from two male suspects during the raid.

The cops also were victims of a dog attack. Police said in a statement that officers were attacked by "two large pit bull-type dogs."

One of the dogs was "immobilized" when an officer used a taser.

Chief Shaw stated, "The dogs got agitated when the officers made entry to take the suspects; the dogs attacked one officer straightaway and bit him in the leg and he required 11 stitches."

Four Webster officers were injured in the dog attack. Three officers were transported to the University of Massachusetts Webster Hospital. They’ve since been released.

WCVB-TV posted police bodycam video of the pit bull attack.

In addition, law enforcement seized "numerous illicit substances, one firearm, ammunition, one taser, and other contraband."

Police arrested 35-year-old Jeffrey Salley of Yonkers, New York.

Salley was charged with possession of an electric stun gun, obstruction of justice, two counts of possession with intent to distribute a Class C substance, possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance, possession of a Class E substance, and conspiracy to violate the drug law.

Police also arrested 30-year-old Gabriel Blandino of the Bronx, New York.

Blandino was charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition without an FID card, improperly storing a firearm, leaving ammunition unattended, possession of an electric stun gun, two counts of possession with intent to distribute a Class C substance, possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance, possession of a Class E substance, and conspiracy to violate the drug law.

Webster Animal Control took possession of the two dogs and determined the dogs were not up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations but are otherwise in "good health and safe." The pit bulls are subject to a 10-day quarantine.

Chief Shaw stated, "It is never easy to see my officers get injured in performing their duties. What angers me more about this is the fact that this was a commercial establishment that was openly distributing narcotics. What angers me even more is the resistance the officers encountered by the males inside, and then the two pit bulls attacking them as they attempted to secure the individuals and the scene."

The chief applauded the officers for their restraint in not shooting the pit bulls but noted they would have been "justified to do so."

Chief Shaw urged the courts to subject both suspects to the maximum penalty allowable.

"Operations such as this erode the very fabric of our community, which already has more than its share of challenges," Shaw said. "As a community, we should be outraged and demand nothing less."

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Heartbreaking video shows 'soulless' driver dumping malnourished dog near desert. Owners face charges — and pup finds love.



A surveillance camera captured the heartbreaking moment when a "soulless" driver dumped a malnourished dog near a desert in Arizona. The dog's owners have been identified and charged — and the pup has found a loving new family.

Around 12:16 p.m. Saturday, a surveillance camera caught a red SUV stopping in the middle of a street in Surprise, which is about an hour northwest of Phoenix.

'I was angered. I was flabbergasted, shocked. Just so many emotions.'

The passenger door of the SUV opens, and a small black and white dog is tossed out of the vehicle while someone inside the car is heard saying, "Bye-bye!"

As the driver speeds off, the small abandoned dog chases after the vehicle, to no avail.

But a local woman was walking her own dog when she witnessed the disturbing incident.

"I was screaming," Joanna Buesen told KSAZ-TV. "I couldn't get myself collected fast enough."

"I saw the bumper of a vehicle, and then the dog getting tossed out of the vehicle, and then the dog running toward the vehicle," Buesen explained.

Buesen added, "He felt defeated. I can tell you when a dog is sad or defeated, it's not OK. You even had the audacity to say bye in the video, and not in a nice way."

Buesen said she carried the dog all the way to her home and fed the mistreated animal. The dog was reportedly malnourished, and its ribs were visible.

“It was defeated. It was sad," Buesen told KTVK-TV. “I was angered. I was flabbergasted, shocked. Just so many emotions.”

KSAZ-TV shared video of the distressing incident.

The male dog is not chipped.

Surprise police quickly launched an investigation, and 20-year-old Logan Gambill of Wittmann and 26-year-old Priscilla Galanos of Phoenix turned themselves in to police Monday, KTVK reported.

Galanos was hit with a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, and Gambill is facing a misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit animal cruelty.

Buesen declared, "Anything that’s innocent deserves justice. I honestly believe that."

“I think that they had no remorse for their actions, and I think that is the telltale that it is malicious intent,” Buesen said, adding that "I understand things are hard, and things can be tough in life, but you don’t have to be a soulless human. And that is just a soulless thing."

Meanwhile, the dog was welcomed with open arms by officers of the Surprise Police Department.

The department released a video on social media showing the happy dog with his tail wagging and getting loving attention from police officers.

"He's got a new squad, a warm bed, and all of the belly rubs he can handle," the department said in the video.

The department said the dog would be released to the Arizona Humane Society, which can put him up for adoption.

"We ... encourage anyone in our community who may be unable to care for an animal to seek assistance from local community groups or the Arizona Humane Society," the Surprise Police Department stated.

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Will our pets be in heaven? Unpacking God's heart for animals



Our 5-year-old son had requested a family meeting. As there are only three of us, it was fairly easy to assemble quickly. Before he began, he asked us to let him finish what he had to say before we asked any questions. We agreed. It was quite an impassioned speech about companionship and friends and talking and listening. His concluding line was, “So as you can see, I need a dog.” He rested his case.

Being freed up, apparently, to now comment, I said, “I’ve heard of lots of people wanting a dog, babe. Not necessarily needing a dog unless it was a service dog.”

“I need someone to talk to,” Christian explained.

“You can talk to us,” Barry answered.

“I mean about you,” he clarified.

Excellent point. We bought Belle that weekend.

It is hard to put into words the love that pets bring to us as humans. I’m constantly moved by pictures on social media of the strong bond that exists between pets and their owners and pets and each other. In fact, if you checked out who I follow on Instagram, over half of them are animals. They bring so much joy. Animals have always been part of our story. When we go right back to the beginning at creation, before God created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, he populated Eden with all sorts of wonderful creatures.

It was God’s original plan that we would live together with the animals in peace and harmony. It’s not unreasonable to think that if that was God’s original plan in Eden, then someday we will once again enjoy these beautiful gifts from God.

In the revelation given to John, he heard Jesus say from the throne, “Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5).

Jesus doesn’t say I’m making new things. He says I’m making everything new. That has to include everything God created in Eden, the perfect garden where Adam was asked to give a name to every creature.

Reading in Genesis 6, we see once again the importance of animals to God’s creation. When God determined to flood the Earth because of the excessive wickedness, his instructions to Noah as he built his boat were to make sure that the animals survived as well.

Bring a pair of every kind of animal — a male and a female — into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals. (Genesis 6:19-21)

So what do we know for sure about animals in heaven? Well, we certainly know that there are horses in heaven. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a carriage of fire drawn by horses (2 Kings 2:11). In Revelation 6:2, we read, “I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory."

If animals were always part of God’s plan for us, I’m sure they will be part of our eternal lives with him. In heaven, we will be who we are now, but without sin, so animals that knew a certain beauty, grace, and strength in Eden will be perfected once again, too. (Perhaps our dog Maggie will stop barking?)

Isaiah the prophet wrote about our future home:

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly
snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. (11:6-9)

The question may remain, however, “What about my pet? Will my dog be there or just newly created dogs and cats?” I love what my friend Joni Eareckson Tada shared in one of her books as she thought about heaven.

If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn’t surprise me. It would be just like Him. It would be totally in keeping with His generous character. ... Exorbitant. Excessive. Extravagant in grace after grace. Of all the dazzling discoveries and ecstatic pleasures heaven will hold for us, the potential of seeing Scrappy would be pure whimsy — utterly, joyfully, surprisingly superfluous.

Billy Graham was once asked by a young girl if her dog would be in heaven. He asked her if that would make her happy. When she assured him that it would, he said he was sure her dog would be there. Have you ever wished that your dog or cat could talk? I know I have. I think it’s fascinating that when the serpent talked to Eve in the garden of Eden, she wasn’t surprised that he could talk.

"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, 'Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?'” (Genesis 3:1).

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in heaven all the animals have the ability to talk? We can’t know that now, but I’m sure that as we will live pure lives free of sin, mistrust, and fear, animals will be raised to the existence and nobility they knew in Eden before the fall.

This essay was adapted from "The Hope of Heaven" by Sheila Walsh ©2024. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

'Blood was everywhere': Video shows pit bull mauling man; arrested dog owner argues against judge's euthanization order



A Texas dog owner is arguing against a judge's order to have her pit bull euthanized after the animal was caught on video viciously mauling a man.

On Jan. 28, deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a 43-year-old man being attacked by a dog in San Antonio, Texas.

'My heart goes out to the victim, but it was absolutely not my dog.'

KSAT-TV obtained graphic footage of a pit bull attack while a couple were walking their small dog.

The surveillance video shows a pit bull attacking Adam Didelot, his wife, Megan, and their small dog named Max.

Adam managed to stop the pit bull from mauling his dog, but the pit bull turned on him. The pit bull attacked Adam and brought him to the ground.

Megan Didelot recounted the pit bull attack when she testified in court on Tuesday.

"After returning from getting our dog to safety, my husband was holding the dog with one hand and his face with the other. Blood was everywhere," Megan Didelot told the courtroom.

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Adam "sustained serious facial injuries to his lips, chin, and cheek, requiring immediate medical attention, and was transported to University Hospital for treatment."

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office posted a grisly photo showing Adam suffering a gruesome injury in which his lip was partially dangling from his face.

Neighbors reportedly told officers with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office that the pit bull had been involved in previous dog attacks.

Bexar County Animal Control took custody of the pit bull. Police arrested 39-year-old Veronica Elizabeth Polley, the pit bull's owner. She was charged with a dangerous dog attack resulting in serious bodily injury. Polley's bail was set at $85,000.

On Wednesday, Adam Didelot appeared in court wearing a face mask to cover his nightmarish injuries.

Megan Didelot told the courtroom that her husband may need reconstructive surgery.

Polley — who represented herself in the hearing — argued against the euthanization of her dog.

"I have never been made aware that he was aggressive toward a human,” Polley said in court, according to KSAT-TV. "My heart goes out to the victim, but it was absolutely not my dog."

Despite her plea, a Bexar County judge ordered that the pit bull be euthanized.

Polley was reportedly "visibly upset" by the judge's order.

According to KSAT-TV, "She maintained her belief that authorities had identified the wrong animal."

The judge granted Polley the opportunity to see her dog one last time before the animal is to be euthanized.

Polley is awaiting an indictment.

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8-year-old boy 'brutally' mauled to death by dogs; Florida sheriff vows to hold owner responsible, have animals 'destroyed'



An 8-year-old boy was "brutally" mauled to death by two dogs after the child went to pet the "very vicious" animals, according to police in Florida. The sheriff has vowed "to do everything humanly possible" to hold the owner responsible for the violent animal attack and have the dogs "destroyed."

Around 4:55 p.m. Monday, the boy — Michael Millett — was riding bikes with his friend in the Berry Ridge community in DeLand, which is about an hour northeast of Orlando.

'This is a tragedy beyond comprehension.'

The boy reportedly went to pet the dogs — and then tragedy struck.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a Tuesday press conference, "It goes from petting, and a very friendly encounter, to the dogs becoming very, very, very vicious and very violent."

A caller allegedly told a 911 dispatcher, "There is a little boy being attacked by two dogs. Oh, my God, please hurry."

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the frantic caller told the dispatcher: "He is not moving, the boy that is being attacked. He was screaming for help and they pinned him down to the ground and they are like biting him and he is not moving, he is not responding."

The caller said the boy's mother jumped on top of her son to try to protect him from the dog attack.

CPR was performed on the boy, but it was unsuccessful, and Michael was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that one of the dogs is a pit bull and the other is a mixed breed.

The dogs escaped the property, and authorities chased the animals down the road. The dogs were chased back to the property and eventually captured. The dogs were being held in quarantine by Volusia County Animal Services.

Fox News reported that deputies and animal control officers noticed that the dog owner's property was not fully fenced in and that the dogs had the ability to escape easily.

According to the News-Journal, police are investigating allegations that the same dogs were "running wild and killing chickens."

Chitwood said, "These dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood."

An autopsy determined that the boy suffered 12 severe bites, including injuries to his foot and neck.

'We are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we are going to do everything possible to make sure that these dogs are destroyed.'

The sheriff said, "What a horrific, horrific incident this was. [The boy was] maliciously mauled, brutally mauled, and killed at the scene."

Chitwood believes the victim didn't suffer long because his wounds were "devastating" and "horrific."

The sheriff added, "I don’t know what anyone can say to ease the immense pain this family is feeling tonight. This is a tragedy beyond comprehension, especially for those of us who are parents and grandparents. I can only ask our community to say a prayer of strength for this family and keep them in your hearts as they face their worst nightmare."

The dog owner — identified as 31-year-old Amanda Franco by the News-Journal — reportedly wasn't on the property at the time of the animal attack.

The paper said of Franco, "A quick search of the Volusia County Branch Jail arrest records showed Franco has been arrested 12 times since 2015 for drug offenses, aggravated battery, battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and a probation violation."

Chitwood said Franco is subject to supervised weekly drug testing and has not been cooperative with authorities.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office, Volusia County Animal Control Services, and the State Attorney's Office are working together to charge Franco.

"We are going to seek justice for Michael," Chitwood declared, adding that "we are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we are going to do everything possible to make sure that these dogs are destroyed."

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help support Michael's family following the tragic loss. The campaign has raised nearly $60,000 at the time of publication.

Police are urging anyone with information on the dogs involved in the attack to contact the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at 386-943-7866.

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