Aggravated Assault Charges Investigated in Pit Bull Attack

Boyfriend Charged in Mauling
UPDATE 07/28/08: Police arrested a man charged with allowing his pit bulls to attack his ex-girlfriend. 38-year-old Tony Keys is due in court today on the charge of malicious wounding. In what DogsBite.org hopes is a mistake, the news article also says that the victim is still hospitalized. This would mean a two-week stay in the hospital indicating massive injury.

07/24/08: Victim is Named; Investigation Continues
The victim's name is Beonquay Charmane Earley. Police spokesman Harold Eley said she was visiting her 38-year-old former boyfriend at the time of the attack. Eley wouldn't comment on her injuries but said they were not life threatening. Due to the ongoing investigation, police are unable to discuss if the owner of the dogs told them to attack.

07/23/08: Attacked by Ex-Boyfriend's Pit Bulls
Newport, VA - A woman was attacked by her ex-boyfriend’s pit bulls in his home. The attack reportedly followed a dispute. The victim has been hospitalized for 5 days. The injuries suffered must be severe, though the article does not provide more detail. The man turned over his two pit bulls, Cognac and Cheeba, to animal control. Both have since been euthanized.

The number of instances in which a woman is victimized by her boyfriend's pit bull is sobering.

Newport News Police spokesman Lou Thurston said, "This case is being investigated as an aggravated assault. No one has been charged at this point." The 31-year-old victim lives in Portsmouth. DogsBite.org urges women to avoid men that choose to own dangerous dogs. It is the woman or her child that are consistently victimized in these scenarios.