Man accused of sending pit bull to bite sheriff's deputy
A 22-year-old Ypsilanti Township man was arrested Sunday after he directed his pit bull to attack a Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputy during a domestic disturbance, police said.
Sgt. Geoffrey Fox said deputies were dispatched at 9:15 p.m. Sunday to the home in the 500 block of Pinewood Avenue when a woman reported her daughter was arguing with a 22-year-old man about the couple’s child. She notified dispatchers that there were dogs at the house, and the man would not hesitate to send the dogs after deputies that responded.
Deputies arrived at the home and could hear a loud argument coming from the home’s backyard, along with the sound of dogs barking. Two deputies went to a wooden gate and saw the man arguing with a woman while holding an infant in his arm.
Fox said the man’s other arm was holding a pit bull by the scruff of its neck. The pit bull was seated between the man’s legs, Fox said. Deputies told the woman to take that dog and another dog inside, but the man refused to let go of the dog. The woman still took the other dog inside the house.
The couple started arguing again and the deputies started to walk inside the fence, Fox said.
“The man looked at deputies and released his grip on the dog, pushing it toward the deputies,” Fox said. “The deputies attempted to back out of the gate but the dog was able to get to one of them.”
The dog bit down hard enough to penetrate the deputy’s work boot and his skin, Fox said. The dog released and the deputy was able to scramble away outside the fence, where the investigators remained until other deputies arrived on scene.
Eventually, deputies were able to talk the man into putting the dog inside. The man still refused to give up the infant for a short period of time, but he was eventually talked into putting the child down. He was then placed under arrest, Fox said.
The man was set to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon, but information on his charges was not immediately available, Fox said. More information should be released Wednesday morning.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Billy Bob Schwartz
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 8:46 p.m.
I agree with every comment on this that was censored.
Bill Wilson
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 6:46 p.m.
Kudos to the officers for not shooting the dog. It's not the dog's fault that he has an idiot for an owner. These officers should be commended, and given a raise in pay.
harry
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 8:55 p.m.
I think the officer was foolish. Somebody pulls a gun you shoot them. I would have killed the dog. My life is way more important then than aggresive dog they probably put down anyways. Aggressive pit bulls are almost ALWAYS put down.
harry
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
They didn't say it but there is a very good chance that dog was put down. They don't look kindly on agressive pit bulls. These dogs are a death waiting to happen. You can blame the owner all you want it still doesn't change the fact that if a pit bull bites you, you may die. Remember all dogs bit. When beagle bites he can break the skin but there is a extremely small chance of him killing you.
nickcarraweigh
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 3:12 p.m.
I've been advised to take up a hobby. My pal, Lefty, says chainsaw juggling is just the ticket, while my other buddy, Gimpy, says I should get a pit bull. Decisions, decisions.
HB11
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.
I'm starting to change my mind regarding pitties. While I do believe how the dog is raised is a factor, they are still a strong aggressive breed. There is a only a certain person who should own a pitbull, and maybe that is 15-20% of the responsible dog owners out there (a guess). Unfortunately, the population of pit bulls VS. these potentially responsible owners is way out of proportion. Just look at the ratio of pit bulls and bully-mixes available VS. other breeds avilable to adopt at the HSHV.
dading dont delete me bro
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 11:01 a.m.
nice to see that township ordinance on pit bulls is working...
Kitty O'Brien
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 6:26 a.m.
Thank you officer, for not shooting the dog. Breaks my heart to think people use animals in this way.
Dog Guy
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 12:42 a.m.
If this is how men do marriage and family now, maybe marriage and family are up for grabs.
a2citizen
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 2:20 a.m.
...because the women involved are real prizes.
Goober
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:38 p.m.
I will get censored if I post what I really think and wish to say.
jcj
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:13 p.m.
If your gonna own a pit bull you might as well leave a loaded gun on the porch!
Billy Bob Schwartz
Fri, Aug 31, 2012 : 12:13 a.m.
Mike....even if they are in a police uniform!
Mike
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 1:15 p.m.
No dangerous than many other dogs if trained properly. I've seen many that are well trained and make good affectionate pets. They are a stubborn breed for sure but will do their job and guard the house from intruders.
Robert Granville
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 10 p.m.
Maybe I'm the only one but I can't help but see this situation from the view of the defendant. If I was arguing with family in my gated yard, I would be adversarial with police dispatched by home by someone other than myself. Based on the story, nothing illegal took place until the cops entered the yard. If I felt I had a handle on the situation on my own, I would not respond to police orders to put my dogs away and I would not allow them onto my property. If they refused to listen to my demands that they leave my property or simply opened the gate without permission from me, I would want to retaliate in some way. I certainly wouldn't loose my dogs on them... but I would be highly upset about them being there on my property against my will and without cause.
brian
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 3:20 a.m.
Give me a break. These officers were called to the house and they have to respond. Time to grow up. These officers did a fine job.
stevek
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:08 p.m.
Very bizarre logic
a2citizen
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:05 p.m.
"...I would not allow them onto my property..." The woman invited the police onto the property. Did you even read the story?
leaguebus
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 10:17 p.m.
What you are saying is a joke, right?
jcj
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 10:14 p.m.
I do agree with you on this point. You might be the ONLY one that sees it this way!
Dutch Thomas
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 8:43 p.m.
amazing they did not shoot the dog....after he gets out of prison he should then be prosecuted for felony animal cruelty and barred from animal ownership for life which would be easy to do as he should be on life time probation.
observer
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 8:25 p.m.
they could have shot the dog, maybe they should have, because with this owner who will be next......
Ryan
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 7:49 p.m.
I'm not normally one to salute the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office but I really have to on this one. These deputies showed exactly the type of restraint we want in our law enforcement officers. No people were seriously injured and the deputy didn't shoot the dog either. Bravo gentlemen and thank you.
observer
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 1:16 p.m.
kelly, do you own a pit bull....and would you trust this breed in your home with a newborn, children or another dog....I believe that you roll the dice with this dog.....
Mike
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 1:13 p.m.
He should have warned the owner that he would shoot the dog if it attacked him and recommend he take it inside. Once the dog attacked he should have shot it.
mpope
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 12:19 a.m.
I agree. Im glad the deputy didnt shoot the dog as it attacked. Discharging firearms around a baby would have been a dangerous choice. But the dog should be put down. And the perpetrator should only be allowed supervised visits with that poor baby. Visits that take place at an official meeting place-- not the guy's home.
Eep
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 9:17 p.m.
Shooting at a moving dog who is biting your foot is a really good way to accidentally shoot yourself in the foot.
kelly
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.
Observer, that is not the dog's fault. That's the owner's fault. The dogs should be taken away and given a chance to have a good home where they will not be encouraged to act violently.
slave2work
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 8:55 p.m.
Think of the horror the child would have seen, already was bad enough with the 2 screaming at each other.
observer
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 8:27 p.m.
the dog is alive to attack someone else.....with this owner, that is a distinct possibility.....
stevek
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 7:47 p.m.
Charge the person with attempted murder. Doesn't matter if it was a pit bull or AK-47.
stevek
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:06 p.m.
How does it matter? The accused wanted the pit bull do do only one thing. The same as a gun. Therefore, the charge should be the same
Robert Granville
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 9:55 p.m.
Yes... yes it does matter.
stevek
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 7:45 p.m.
Surprised it was a Pit Bull
IMsoBURR
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 4 a.m.
regardless, good job ann arbor police. they handled it well. and stevek, if someone trained a spaniel to be an attack dog, it would be.
IMsoBURR
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 : 3:57 a.m.
I don't own a pitbull, I own a well trained boxer. if you look at the statistics for dog attacks on humans over the past few years, it varies by breed. Some years, it is golden retrievers, another year it was a doberman, etc. All I'm saying is don't judge the dog, judge the owner. This guy (and others) purposefully train pitbulls to be aggressive. So if we go by your logic, losers own golden retrievers, dobermans, poodles, and any type of dog. You cannot generalize breeds, it is 100% on the owner.
Roger Dodger
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:30 p.m.
By siccing the dogs on the sheriff's deputies, I would guess that he has guaranteed this dogs death. He certainly put its life in danger as an acceptable response to a dog attacking you is to shoot it. I don't think this 22-yr old was a responsible dog owner, do you?
Dutchy734
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:14 p.m.
@stevek, yes only losers like President Theodore Roosevelt, President Woodrow Wilson, General George S. Patton, Helen Keller, Fred Astaire, Delores del Rio, Humphrey Bogart, Thomas Edison, John Steinbeck, Rosie Perez, Jamie Foxx, Barbra Eden, Anthony Robbins, Michael J. Foxx, Kelli Williams etc.
stevek
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 11:04 p.m.
IMsoBURR -Because there doesn't seem to be many spaniels taught to attack people, and the fact that obviously the media is predjudiced against pit bulls, along with YOUR own reasoning, only losers own pit bulls.
jcj
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 10:12 p.m.
Its about the type of person that needs to own a pit bull!
IMsoBURR
Tue, Aug 28, 2012 : 9:38 p.m.
typical, mr. stevek. It's not about the breed of the dog, it's about how the owner raised it.