'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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Louisiana man caught on 'gruesome' video sexually abusing a neighbor's pit bull, police say



A Louisiana man was arrested on Thursday for sexually abusing a local dog in his neighborhood, according to police. The sexual attack on the pit bull was reportedly captured on video and seen by authorities.

The Alexandria Police Department arrested 23-year-old Noah Tomlin on Thursday for the alleged sex crime.

A video of the alleged sexual assault of the dog was reportedly uploaded to Facebook. Multiple people as well as the Humane Society of Louisiana tipped off the police about the purported sexual assault.

The Humane Society of Louisiana said Tomlin walked out of his house and approached a neighbor's pit bull that was bound by a heavy chain.

WAFB reported, "That’s when the man forced the dog to perform oral sex on him."

The incident happened in broad daylight and allegedly lasted two minutes.

The owner of the dog was notified of the animal abuse.

Jeff Dorson – the executive director at Humane Society of Louisiana – said "pet detectives" with his organization "helped to secure an arrest of a sexual predator."

After seeing the "gruesome and disturbing video," workers with the Humane Society of Louisiana contacted the Alexandria Police Department to report the suspected crime. At first, the police allegedly said the case was an animal control issue. However, the workers allegedly pushed to have a detective investigate the criminal allegations.

Dorson said Tomlin and the owner of the abused dog share the same backyard.

The Humane Society of Louisiana offered to pay for the dog to be examined by a veterinarian. The organization also offered the owner some suggestions on how to protect his dog in the future.

Tomlin was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center and charged with sexual abuse of an animal. Tomlin reportedly posted a $1,000 bond on Friday.

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BAN THE BREED? Allie Beth Stuckey says PIT BULLS are too dangerous to be pets


On "Relatable," BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey discussed the controversial topic of pit bulls. Are they a dangerous breed by nature, or do they become dangerous at the hands of certain owners?

Watch the video above or find more episodes of "Relatable" with Allie Beth Stuckey here. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.

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3 pit bulls maul owner's elderly mother to death



A woman in Georgia is facing reckless conduct and felony involuntary manslaughter charges after the three pit bulls she owned viciously attacked her mother to death, according to reports.

On the evening of October 7, police were called to a Troup County residence after a neighbor heard an elderly woman screaming for help out of a window, claiming that her sister had been attacked by dogs. When police arrived, they discovered Rosetta Gesselman, 80, lying on the floor and "suffering from visible wounds," according to Sgt. Stewart Smith.

Police also found three pit bull and pit bull/mastiff mixes, one female and two males, at the residence, and all three were behaving very aggressively. As a result, one deputy "had to deploy O/C [pepper] spray in the direction of the dogs," which caused the dogs to exit the house through a "doggie door," Smith added.

Despite the pepper spray, the dogs continued to demonstrate aggression, compelling "first responders" to put two of them down on the property that evening. The other dog was later euthanized as well.

Meanwhile, an ambulance raced Gesselman to Well Star West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange, Georgia, about an hour and a half southwest of Atlanta. Unfortunately, Gesselman later died from her injuries.

Her daughter, 48-year-old Tongia Gesselman, who owned the dogs, was later arrested after it was discovered that she may have previously known about the dogs' aggressive temperament. WGNO reported that the dogs had already killed "family pets" and had bitten at least one other person who then required medical treatment at a hospital. According to WSB-TV, Tongia never reported those incidents to the police.

Tongia and Rosetta Gesselman shared the residence where the attack occurred, though Tongia was not at the residence when it happened. Tongia Gesselman has reportedly pled not guilty and remains in jail on a $6,000 bond.

Family's pit bulls maul toddler and baby to death, mother rushed to the hospital



Two small children in Tennessee are dead after being mauled to death by the family's two pit bulls, according to police.

Around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, two pit bulls viciously attacked a 2-year-old girl, a 5-month-old boy, and their mother inside their home in Millington, Tennessee, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

The toddler and the baby were pronounced dead at the home near Memphis.

The family's dogs also attacked the children's mother. She was rushed to Regional One in critical condition by Shelby County Fire paramedics. As of Thursday afternoon, the mother was upgraded to stable condition, according to detectives.

"The two pit bulls responsible for the attack were euthanized this afternoon by Memphis Animal Services," the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The investigation into the dog attack deaths is ongoing at this time.

The names of the victims have yet to be released.

Marlo Matthews – a longtime dog-breeder – gave WREG-TV his opinion about pit bulls, "I know how loyal they can be. I know how loving they can be, but I also know how dangerous they can be."

"You are playing with your life when you have those in your house," he claimed. "Something may never happen but when it does, will you then be like I should have got rid of this problem."

There are more than 4.5 million people bitten by dogs in the United States each year, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Nearly 1 in 5 people who are bitten by a dog require medical attention, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DogsBite.org – a national dog bite victim's advocacy group – found that 568 Americans were killed by dogs from 2005 to 2020. Pit bulls were reportedly responsible for 67% of those deaths.

There have been 20 fatal dog bite attacks so far in 2022.

Time magazine reported in 2014, "Pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population, but they’re responsible for 68% of dog attacks and 52% of dog-related deaths since 1982, according to research compiled by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animals 24-7, an animal-news organization that focuses on humane work and animal-cruelty prevention."

Dog attack in Shelby County leaves 2 children dead, mother injured www.youtube.com

Owner of 7 pit bulls arrested after dogs maul 71-year-old Texas man to death



A 71-year-old Texas man was mauled to death by pit bulls. The alleged owner of seven pit bulls was arrested in connection with the deadly attack.

Fresno-native Freddy Garcia was walking to a store in his neighborhood at around 1:30 p.m. on July 18. Garcia was viciously attacked by seven pit bulls. Garcia was flown to Memorial Hermann – a hospital in the downtown Houston area. He was later pronounced dead from the pit bull attack.

Immediately following the attack, four pit bulls were captured, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. Three other pit bulls were on the loose for a period of time before they were taken captive. Officials did not reveal if the animals would be euthanized. Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton will determine the fate of the pit bulls involved in the deadly attack.

An investigation by the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Bend Animal Control, and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, connected Samuel Cartwright to the seven pit bulls.

Cartwright, 47, was charged with attack by dog resulting in death – which is a second-degree felony. The charge could result in a prison sentence of two to 20 years.

Cartwright's bond was set at $100,000.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan told KRPC-TV, “This devastating tragedy didn’t have to happen. I extend my deepest condolences to the Garcia family and his neighbors as they adjust to the loss of Mr. Garcia. Special thanks go out to our deputies, Fort Bend Animal Services Director Rene Vasquez, and Fort Bend District Attorney Brian Middleton for the collaborative work of capturing the dogs and making an arrest.”

Garcia’s brother, Jorge, said he was relieved, "I feel more at ease that at least these animals are not going to hurt no one else, and I hope this doesn’t happen anywhere else."

Man killed in dog attack remembered as 'joyful' and 'full of life' www.youtube.com

There have recently been several people killed by pit bulls.

On May 14, a 36-year-old South Carolina man was mauled to death by four pit bulls. The owner of the dogs, Shantell Ross, is expected to be charged with involuntary manslaughter as well as three counts of vicious unleashed animals in the death of Scottie Lee Brigman, according to People magazine.

On June 5, an 86-year-old Canadian woman was believed to have been attacked by three dogs: a North American pit bull-terrier mix, a North American Staffordshire mix, and an American pit bull. The woman later died from her injuries in Calgary. The Toronto Star reported that the dog owners – Denis Bagaric and Talyn Calkins – were each charged with 12 crimes, including an animal attack on a person, an animal bite to a person, and an animal running at large.

On July 7, North Carolina grandmother Trena Peed, 46, was mauled to death by two pit bulls that she was dog sitting.