Pit bull attack not first trouble
Long before Sue Gorman was severely attacked by two pit bulls, there had been a problem with dangerous dogs on the lose in her Key Peninsula neighborhood.
Since 2000, Pierce County authorities have responded to 16 complaints involving dog problems at the home of the two pit bulls who attacked the disabled woman Tuesday.
Six visits were for calls that neighbors made about aggressive dogs, six were for calls about roaming dogs, two were for reports of neglect, one was to pick up a stray, and one was for Tuesday’s attack, said Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer.
“That’s a lot of calls. (Tuesday) is not the first time they’ve had issues,” Troyer said Friday.
On Tuesday, two pit bulls from the property at 10610 132nd St. Court N.W. mauled Sue Gorman, 59, a disabled woman who lives alone, in her home after she tried to fend them off a third dog, which was eventually killed.
Troyer said the 15 previous calls resulted in eight citations – six for violations of leash laws and two for not having dogs licensed.
County prosecutors are weighing whether to file charges against the pit bulls’ owners in connection with Tuesday’s attack.
Troyer did not have additional information Friday about who had been cited at the house.
The owner of the property, Shellie Rae Wilson, did not respond Friday to a request for comment.
Wilson’s relationship to the property since 2000 is uncertain.
The Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer’s Office shows she bought the property for $80,000 in 2003. However, another county record states she was the owner in January 2000.
Meanwhile, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has begun forwarding reports concerning Tuesday’s pit bull attack to county prosecutors.
To file felony charges, prosecutors must show the owners of the dogs “had reasonable cause to know these dogs were potentially problematic,” said deputy prosecuting attorney Phil Sorenson.
“I’m not sure whether we will be able to do that,” he said.
The owner of one of the pit bulls, Zach Martin, said earlier this week that he was watching the other dog while its owner was out of town, and that he didn’t know how the dogs got out. Martin is Wilson’s son, according to KIRO-TV.
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The owner and his son should be killed. I hate these dumbass dog owners who think they can do what they want. As a responsible dog owner, it pains me to rtead this....and other stories...like Vick....WTF is wrong with people?
The writer is obviously a) not a FReeper, or b) a FReeper so terrified of writing "loose" and thereby calling out the wrath of the spelling police.
(This is honestly the first time I've ever seen the mix-up reversed. LOL.)
‘County prosecutors are weighing whether to file charges against the pit bulls’ owners in connection with Tuesday’s attack.’
How is it even a QUESTION?
Good Lord.....(eyes rolling)