Parents Charged for Endangerment
Friendswood, TX - A cribbed baby was rescued from her room after a two fighting dogs tore up the house. The parents had left the baby with two young boys when the bloody battle began. A frantic neighbor was holding a baseball bat screaming that the baby was trapped inside, when police arrived.
Officers found blood in the home's kitchen and hallway as they followed the sounds of the baby crying. After they forced open the door to the baby's room, the dogs were still fighting. One dog was shot with a Taser, and the other was hit with beanbag rounds. An officer was then able to pull the crying 13-month-old from her crib and take her outside.
The toddler had blood on her, but medics later determined she wasn't injured. According to police, there was blood all over the bedroom, and one window was smashed by the fighting dogs. The dogs were believed to be an American bulldog and a French bull mastiff. One of the dogs died at the scene, and the other was taken into custody by animal control.
Two boys, ages 13 and 11, who had been left in the home by the parents, told police that one of the dogs had broken out of its cage and began attacking the other, so they ran next door to get help. The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against the baby's parents. Jonathan M. Newton, 26, and Angela K. Newton, 28, were arrested and charged with endangering a child, a second-degree felony.
Children's Protective Services was also notified and consulted. Not that it matters, CPS finds small children and dangerous dogs a perfectly suitable mix.
Related articles:
06/20/08: Fatality 2008: No Charges in Weslaco Fatal Dog Attack
05/19/08: 2008 Fatality: Boy Killed by Pit Bulls in Breckenridge, Texas
“When officers arrived at the home in the 400 block of Stoneledge, a woman with a baseball bat was screaming that the baby was trapped inside the house with the dogs.”
Well now we know why these idiot owners fail to intervene when their dogs attacks someone and/or their dogs.
THEY ARE AFRAID OF THEIR OWN DOGS!!!!!!!
If MY child was in there, I wouldn’t be standing outside with a baseball bat screaming and WAITING for someone to help me.
YEAH! CHARGE THEM!
Sheesh…No wonder Texas is the DBRF capitol of the world!
Note to parents..Don’t leave a 13 year old in charge of 200 plus lbs of dogs and an infant…. especially in a state where nine kids have been killed by dogs in the past two years.
Hope these two enjoy supervised visitation.
I’m always amazed at the people who own dogs capable of this around an infant. There are plenty of people who do this and they always believe their dog won’t be a problem. I can’t imagine leaving a child alone with any dog–period.
These people don’t need a child.
Texas please wake up! What you have for a stong law “Lillian’s Law” is only good after the dead child.
“Texas please wake up! What you have for a stong law “Lillian’s Law” is only good after the dead child.”
Only good after the fact, if the dog performed the act off-property!