Owners Arrested, Charged with Misdemeanor After Mauling Death
Karen Nelson, 71, was fatally attacked by a pit bull while riding her bicycle.
Owners arrested
UPDATE 07/17/24: The owners of a pit bull that killed 71-year old Karen Nelson on July 10 were charged with owning a dangerous animal, a misdemeanor, in connection to her death, Florence police said. Justin Conroy, 40, of 105 Williams Way, Chapin, and Ashley Maclean, 30, of 1134 Clarendon Avenue, were taken into custody and transported to the Florence County Detention Center, where they underwent a bond hearing. Both defendants face a fine of up to $5,000 or three years in jail.
"The defendant did know or should have known the canine which belongs to him and the co-defendant has a propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, cause injury, or otherwise endangers the safety of human beings or domestic animals; which makes an unprovoked attack that causes bodily injury to a human being and the attack occurs in a place other than the place where the animal is confined. The canine broke free from its leash and collar device and attacked the victim. The canine punctured the victim's neck, which resulted in the victim's death." - Lance Cpl. T. Matti, Florence Police Department, arrest warrant statement
Judge Marsh A. Julian presided over the bond hearing, which set the bonds for Conroy and Maclean at $15,000 each. Neither spoke during the hearing, WPDE reports. The dog involved was euthanized on July 13 after the owners surrendered the animal to the city. The attorney for the couple, Madalyn Norton, asked for a personal recognizance (PR) bond for each of them, given this is the first offense for each. Judge Julian did not grant PR bonds due to the seriousness of the charges against them.
"A lady is now gone. And her family is grieving at her funeral right now. It's an extremely tragic event. But what concerns me most is I know you don't have a record. And I don't consider you a flight risk. However, I believe what I read in the report is that there are two other dogs at the house. I don't know what kind of dogs those are. I'm not asking. And I'm not interested in that today. And, the fact that there's been previous reports of this dog being a dangerous dog." - Judge Julian
The Post and Courier reports that as Maclean walked her canine along Brigadoone Lane while her child rode his bicycle nearby, the dog was able to bolt away from Maclean by "breaking its leash and collar device." The dog then attacked Nelson unprovoked, knocking her off the bike, and fatally biting her neck. Maclean could not pull the dog off Nelson before her fiancé, Conroy, arrived, according to the police report. Maclean rendered first aid until emergency responders arrived at the scene, police said.
Justin Conroy, 40, and Ashley Maclean, 30, were charged with owning a dangerous animal in connection to the fatal pit bull mauling of Karen Nelson, 71, in Florence on July 10, 2024.
07/11/24: Pit Bull Kills Bicyclist
Florence, SC - A 71-year old woman riding her bicycle through a neighborhood in southwest Florence is dead after being attacked by a dog, police said. On Wednesday, at approximately 8:15 pm, first responders were dispatched to the 1800 block of Brigadoone Lane and Waccamaw Drive for a report of a 71-year old female falling from her bike, according to audio dispatch log files from Florence Fire. "She appears to be seriously injured. She's not alert and has a hole in her neck," states the dispatcher.
After responders arrive on scene and attempt to "control bleeding" and administer CPR to the victim, they related back to the dispatcher, "this lady was attacked by a dog" (not a fall). Police state in a press release that during the investigation, officers learned the victim was riding her bike through the area when a dog got loose and attacked the woman, knocking her off her bike. The dog then bit the woman causing multiple "traumatic injuries." She was transported to a hospital, where she died.
Captain Stephen Starling with the Florence Police Department confirmed the dog involved is a pit bull, reports WPDE.
Animal control took possession of the dog. The Florence County Coroner's Office is assisting in the investigation. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning. The deadly attack is the latest in a series of dog attacks in Florence County, including the high profile attack of a 14-month old child, who was critically injured by eight pit bulls in January. After months of debating, the city of Florence finally passed a new ordinance that lowers the threshold for a dog to be considered dangerous.
Victim Identified
A close friend identified the victim as Karen Nelson to WPDE. "I’m having a hard time. She was one of the best people I ever knew. She never met a stranger. She always made you feel good. She was just a phenomenal person. And it was just a horrible thing that happened," said Mary Crouch, who described Nelson as her best friend. Family and friends described Nelson as an avid cyclist, a loving grandmother, a beloved music teacher, and "incredibly involved in the church here in Florence."
Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken confirmed the victim's identification and that the attack occurred at the intersection of Brigadoone Lane and Waccamaw Drive. According to Lutcken, the pit bull broke loose to attack as it was being walked. No information was provided about the dog's owner. "We are still investigating the circumstances of this situation," Capt. Starling said. In 2021, another attempt was made to pass a state-level pit bull spay/neuter law in South Carolina, but it failed.
Dog was Leashed
WPDE received new information from Capt. Starling, including that the dog was leashed prior to fatally attacking the bicyclist. As law enforcement continues to gather information, Starling said, "We just have to look at circumstances surrounding the incident ... Did the leash break? Was the leash tight enough. Was the collar the right kind of collar? ... And then we will look into the history of the dog. Has there been complaints before question things like that? So it is just an evolving investigation."
The Post and Courier reports the dog's female owner was walking the dog "while her child rode his bicycle in the area of Brigadoone Lane." Nelson, who lived at a home just "yards" away from the fatal attack site, was on her bicycle as well. The dog broke free from its leash and knocked Nelson off her bike, then fatally attacked her neck, leaving a hole in her neck. The owner was "unable to get the dog away from Nelson before her fiancé arrived." He was able to pull the dog away, but it was too late.
Intersection where a Florence woman was fatally attacked by a pit bull while riding her bicycle.
After Karen Nelson was targeted and killed by an aggressive pit bull -- the dog knocked her off her bike then fatally attacked her neck -- a fellow bicyclist shows a "token" ghost bike symbol in her honor. A real ghost bike, a life-size bike painted white with a sign reading, "A cyclist was killed here," might be too controversial for the Brigadoone subdivision in Florence.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: South Carolina Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
11/02/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by Pair of Pit Bulls in Moncks Corner, South Carolina
04/22/21: Jayce’s Law Has Hearing: Powerful Testimony by Charleston Humane Society and Mother
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
This woman had a wonderful life. Very active and a great human at 71 years. To have it all taken away in one very violent act is so disturbing to me. Heartbreaking. This death will bother me for a very long time.
I beg people to come to their senses and stop owning/buying/adopting/breeding/rescuing blood sport dogs. People over dogs.
Signed, a very worried veterinarian
Agree 100%
It’s so strange that in our area Mid-Atlantic States, there’s a push to not buy from puppy mills, is that just encourages the continuation of puppy mills.
However nothing is ever mentioned about not acquiring pitbull puppies, and rarely is anything said about never breeding a pit bull / Bloodsport dog.
Letting pregnant
bloodsport dogs produce a litter and the public acquiring pitbull puppies are essential stages in the horrific vicious cycle that is the pit bull Bloodsport undog crisis.
To me, that is proof that the Bloodsport undog USERS (owners, mongerers, pimps) do not actually care about the welfare of these bloodsport gladiators at all.
Another inexcusable death by a pitbull. What I would like to know are the following: Was the person walking the dog strong enough to handle it? Not a child or elderly person. What kind of restraint was used on the dog? Collar, harness, head halter? What kind of leash? Was the dog being walked off leash?
What size pitbull?
I ask these questions because something went terribly wrong here. How can a dog being walked kill anyone?
Here in Los Angeles pit bulls are almost always walked by skinny women who absolutely could not handle them if they decided to bolt. It’s infuriating.
One pitbull can pull a 2kg car. *Nobody* is strong enough to restrain one that wants to pull especially these donut owners who think it’s “kind” to walk one *on a harness*.
To walk a dog bred to pull (pay attention Husky owners, as well) takes brains and training, NOT muscle. To stop an apex predator with enough muscle to pull a car that is he11bent on reaching a target is impossible.
Pitbull owners need to stop deluding themselves.
We are inherently cognitively predisposed to delude ourselves. The canine is a potential object of attachment. The canine has been elevated in human culture as an object of mental affirmation. Humans extract mental solace from the canine. (This is our culturally-sanctioned prejudice.) I don’t own a canine or any other pet. The notion of enslaving an animal for ego stroking is repugnant to me. The collective delusion (really, just a prejudice) will get worse.
Bloodsport undogs in weight pulling contests can drag several tons of weight along a flat track.
This tells a thinking person that an average Gladiator dog can drag a human of many times the dog’s weight along on an attack.
Pinch collars have a bad reputation, but are necessary for some dogs. They should put the ghost bike up where she was killed, on Brigadoone . What a name for a street where a woman was killed by a pit bull. Tax funded shelters must cull this breed instead of giving them away for free like our shelter just did, when they got too crowded. “Kill” shelters are necessary, but they have a bad rap, compared to private shelters which can pick and choose the cute ,cuddly small dogs.
Joanne…100%. They’re also a *lot* kinder than cripple harnesses and head harnesses. I’d never put anything on a dog I didn’t try on myself first. Literally.
And I can tell you from personal experience (I can talk, a dog can’t) that you can pop a prong collar on a human neck, with no ruff to blunt it, with a pretty decent amount of force and *not leave a single mark*
They aren’t medieval torture devices. They’re a cleverly designed blunt-tooth grabbing device that’s mimics what dogs do to each other to create pressure and elicit compliance from each other.
They also take a crapton less pressure and less timing than check chains or flat collar training for the average dog owner taught to use them from a 15 minute professional dog-training video.
They have a bad rap because stupid people, whose dogs are already biting and lunging think that slapping on a prong will fix the underlying aggression.
And harnesses? I’m crossing the street.
These dogs should not be in society. Period. It’s really that simple and I am deeply troubled by how many continue to defend these dogs and fight sensible BSL. How utterly tragic, absurdly unfair and totally preventable. She sounds like a wonderful lady.
“After months of debating”- why the hell is there even a debate about this?
Pits should not be pets, period; any more than alligators or tigers. They’re disproportionately prone to causing serious harm and their owners are awful at controlling them.
And the owner may not face criminal charges. Murder has been legalized – if the weapon is on four legs.
You know this dog’s owner was fully aware how the dog reacts to bicycles, right? Disgusting and unforgivable.
Was there a history of attacking cyclists before? Other attacks?
Pitbulls are bred to have high prey drive. This drive is important in getting them to kill. Prey drive involves chasing down prey, killing it, and eating it.
This is why I don’t want to be around pitbulls.
I’m sorry, I was speculating when I said the owner knows this dog wants to go after things such as bicyclists. I have seen too many stories of pitbull owners lying, “Diesel has never done anything like this before.” And too many accounts of the owners of attacking pitbulls fleeing the scene of attack, leaving the victim to deal with the damage. The accounts paint a picture of pitbull owners being recklessly irresponsible, putting others in danger, lying and omitting information to protect themselves and their dogs. I know no details about the particular owner of this particular dog that killed an innocent person.
Often the pit bull owner is not lying when they say the dog has never shown aggressive behavior before an attack. That’s partly what makes bully breed dogs so frightening, is that there is often no warning or clues that a possible lethal attack will happen. In this particular case, it sounds like the dog had been ok with bicycles, if the woman was walking the dog while the child rode it’s bicycle near by. The fact that these attacks happen with no warning is what is so distressing.
Right…I heard someone say, you only drown once. When the pitbull sets its sights on a kill, game on. I also like the analogy, if you were offered a bowl of 100 M&M’s and told just ONE was poison, would you eat the candy? People who get these dogs see lots of “nice” pitbulls, however, it just takes one to kill you. Worth the gamble? I think not.
Pitbulls are bred to have high prey drive. This drive is important in getting them to kill. Prey drive involves chasing down prey, killing it, and eating it.
This is why I don’t want to be around pitbulls.
She was killed directly in front of her own home. It is her brick home in the background of the street signs picture.
Is it just me or has the maulocaust shifted in to overdrive this summer?
There have been days with multiple attacks.
Keep in mind these are just the fatalities.
I bet we have missed some horrible, life changing maulings. Those barley make the news anymore.
I feel so bad for this latest victim.
Imagine making to your 70s , still being healthy enough to enjoy cycling and getting taken down and mauled to death by a dog the walker could not control.
Such a painful, pointless way to go.
The worst part is odds are the owner wont even get a parking ticket for this “tragic accident”.
It’s heartbreaking.
Dr. Duke, your comment is right on. We are seeing a tragic trend in deaths. While Colleen reports fatalities, I look at other sites that report attacks. The mauled children are the worst. These sweet little guys have life-limiting and life changing injuries. As someone who worked in the TV media for decades, I’m shocked and dismayed by the utter lack of coverage these attacks get. Their primary job is to keep the public informed. Instead, we’re fed pitbull pablum night after night. Some insipid feel-good story about giving FREE pitbulls to senior citizens. There were several pictures of frail, elderly people holding their free pits/mixes that the shelter could not unload on some other poor chump.
“Maulocaust”–I am so stealing that, Dr. Duke.
These dogs are an absolute detriment to senior citizens who disproportionately make up their victims, along with children and the disabled.
Where are the Gray Panthers when you need them?
I was inspired to come up with maulocaust after finding a pit named, I am not making this up, Adolph Pitler.
I may not have even been the first to use the phrase but please feel free to spread the word.
Sometimes a catchy phrase can help the message get out.
I am glad that I was wrong about the owners getting off totally unpunished.
A Misdemeanor for being directly responsible for a woman’s death seems like light punishment but it is better than nothing at all.
Sadly if it goes to a jury I bet they walk.
They will make a big deal out of the fact the leash broke and that the boyfriend came and pried the dog off of her.
The main reason I think they will walk is dog owners on the jury.
None of them like the idea of being held responsible for what their dog does and I doubt they would hold someone else responsible.
Hopefully I am wrong again.
I also hope the estate of the victim has gotten a good lawyer.
Any fines from the criminal case will go to the government.
The estate of the victim deserves compensation for their easily prevented loss.
Pitbull traits – pitbulls frequently have broad necks which will easily allow pitbulls to slip out of collars.
They are very powerful and able to pull hard on harnesses. They are tough to restrain.
I’m going to give a bit of information about dog behavior. Herding breeds such as Collies, German shepherds, Border collies, etc. herd due to prey drive. In those cases, selection has been based on herding
ability without the instinct to kill. Retrievers also have enough prey drive to retrieve but not to kill.
Pitbulls are blood sport dogs that are bred to chase and kill.
Another woman dead in Tuscaloosa County from her own dog. Are we breaking records now, Colleen?
As a lover of dogs, I was the unfortunate witness to my small dog being attacked by a neighbor’s dog and killed. He was my heart. Later I also witnessed my 18 month old son jumped by a neighbor’s Springer Spaniel. He only had minor lacerations to his head and face but it could have been bad. My son would not go outside by himself for a long, long time. I have walked my small dogs in my neighborhood for almost 25 years (2 different dogs). When I see a person coming towards me with a big dog, I immediately turn around because I will not put myself or my beloved dog in harm’s way. I have stopped walking the long walk that I always enjoyed because several people in the neighborhood have had their big dogs get out and roam until someone calls animal control. I am realistic enough to understand that a dog’s nature, no matter how big or small is to be protective. But the bigger dog will win the battle, especially a pitbull. The firsthand stories I have heard and read are unbelievable. People if you love your pitbulls, keep them away from people and other dogs. Most of them are and can be killers. I am so sad for this lady’s family and friends. She did not deserve to die that way. I will be in more cautious when walking myself or my dog.
This boils my blood. Hits close to home, I’m an avid walker and biker. Poor lady. A powerful dog is hard to contain even for a big strong man. I see small women and kids trying to leash hold big dogs all the time. Ridiculous.
So, this is the routine each time I leave the house to walk or ride. “Bye honey, I’m going riding.” Says she, “don’t forget your dog medicine!”
It’s a shame. It really is.
The most recent tv coverage of a gathering of neighbors states that neighbors had ongoing issues with this dog prior. They would not go on camera (afraid of the owners?) but stated the dog had a history of chasing walkers and cyclists before going full pit on Karen Nelson. Owners knew their dog was aggressive and scared people and did not care. Charges please.
And golf carts.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/neighbors-remember-florence-woman-attacked-killed-by-dog/ar-BB1pTDKX?ocid=BingNewsVerp
Here is the link. Towards the end, the reporter talks about how the owners knew of the dogs past aggressiveness towards bikers and people on golf carts but did nothing about it. LOCK THEM UP. LOCK THEM UP.
No sidewalks, which makes it a pedestrian-unfriendly neighborhood. The text article should have included the information at the end of the video. I hope these dog owners will pay. Their innocent neighbor paid with her life for their callous stupidity.
Colleen, looks like you will have plenty to update on this death as the two owners have been arrested and charged with owning a dangerous animal.
The female owner, Ashley Maclean, appears to have rented a house outside the neighborhood and chose to walk the dog there. Neighbors had experienced chasing behavior previously.
I do not know how accountable these two people will be made to be for this horrendous death but I am very happy the police are taking this step towards some justice for Karen Nelson.
This mother had that killing machine in the house with her child! I hope the authorities will yank the other dogs out of the house if they’re pits or pit mixes. This asinine “foster” of dangerous dogs has got to stop. They have a program in our county urging people to take full-grown pitbulls (with no known history) into their home, often with children present. I’m so glad this couple is being held accountable. This couple got to see up close and personal the hell these dogs are known for. It sounds like the child might have witnessed Karen Nelson’s death, too.
Same thing is happening here in Pima County, Arizona. Quoting from a post on Nextdoor:
Currently, we have 702 animals in our shelter, with dog kennels at critical capacity and cat kennels approaching capacity.
“Large impounds of sick animals place incredible strain on shelter resources, including both the space and time it takes to care for these animals,” said Monica Dangler, PACC’s director. “With both the shelter’s cat and dog kennels already full or near full, we need the community’s help to find homes for the pets in our shelter as soon as possible to free up resources for the newly arrived pets.”
Note the use of language. “Newly arrived pets” when they should be saying “dogs.” And, guess what: Most of those dogs are the ones covered on this website.
I live in Florence, SC and knew Karen Nelson- she was my son’s music teacher in elementary school. Like Karen, I’m an avid cyclist and have been charged-at by a large pit bull. Luckily, the owner called him off and the dog obeyed. Still, I feel like I’m very lucky to have not been mauled. I’ve now purchased a pistol to take with me on bike rides after being advised that mace will not stop a pit bull. I’m sorry that it has come to this! I intend to go before the City Council and propose new ordinances that will require pit bull owners to register their dogs, spay & neuter their dogs, microchip their dogs, and buy insurance for their dogs. Also, pit bulls should be muzzled when outside (I’d prefer them to wear a harness rather than a collar, but I can hear the howls of protest already). The breeding of pit bulls (and XL Bully Dogs in the UK) is prohibited and should be prohibited here too. The UK has implemented a very good method to faze-out dangerous breeds and I will suggest that such measures serve as a model for us. Pit bulls are absolutely everywhere in Florence- the shelter is overflowing with them and they regularly run wild in the streets. We have 5 pit bulls that live near my house and all of them are potential threats to children, walkers, and bike riders. If city legislators don’t respond to my common sense suggestions to control this breed after the heinous death of Mrs. Nelson, I don’t know what motivation they will need in order to protect the public from these very dangerous dogs.
I’ve been documenting Pit attacks for three years so you’d think I would be unlikely to ever suffer one right? WRONG.
The neighbor’s pitbull attacked my 15-year-old Chow mix in our cul-de-sac last week. The Pit is a female and a senior, though not as old as my boy. I walk my boy around our cul-de-sac and down our street every evening. This evening we took our walk a little early, and encountered my neighbor in the cul-de-sac. He usually lets his three dogs run around the cul-de-sac while he sits outside with them. So my dog has greeted his dogs probably a hundred times over the past few years while on our walks.
His dogs weren’t on leashes, mine was. The neighbor and I were talking and his Pit started sniffing at my dog’s face and then started biting at it and knocked him over onto the concrete. Then her packmate (1/2 boxer, 1/2 pit I think) started helping her by biting at his side.
It lasted about 10 seconds. Just as I was bending down to pull her back legs out from under her he was able to pull her off and then the other dog quit too. My boy and I limped/ran off.
When we got home I noticed his mouth was swollen and it looked like his canine tooth was sticking out sideways. X-rays confirmed the tooth was fine but they stitched up a gash on the backside of the tooth.
He’s extremely sore. He’s too old to have to deal with this much added pain. Hopefully I can prevent infection. He’s a pretty difficult dog to give pills to, so hopefully the scant few pills I can trick him into eating/grind up and put in his food will be enough.
Neighbor has offered to pay the Vet bills.
This is just so tough because I KNEW the risk and put him in this situation anyway. I always felt that; this neighbor has great control over his dogs, they’re extremely well socialized, and she may only be like 75% Pit. I never should have taken him near that dog.
I also realized that, for all the planning I did, I kind of froze up when the attack happened. I wasted 10 seconds waiting for the owner to pull his dog off, when I should have been acting.
This also reminded me that: A monster is a monster is a monster. There is no one singular monster that isn’t a monster.
Something potential “fosters” of large dogs with unknown histories and butt cracks on their heads should consider is if there is any sort of incident, YOU will be the one in court, YOU will be the one in county jail and YOU will be the one listing YOUR assets if you loose a civil case.
All those helpful folks from the shelter, rescue, center, splinter cell or whatever they called it will lose your phone number and forget you exist.
It may be worse than that.
Many times they will turn on you, accuse you of mistreating their wonderful dog and causing it to attack.
In their mind the dog is the only victim that matters.
Not the actual victim of the attack and certainly not you, the one left holding the bag when your number came up on Pit Roulette.
In their minds you are guilty of the most heinous crime in the world, bringing negative attention to their preferred type of dog.
The ever increasing bully dog crisis, with all the terrible articles, photographs and videos, seems like some horrific continuing TV series.
They are filled with terror, trauma, cruelty, criminality, disability and death. Except in this series, animals (and humans too) ARE harmed in the making of these films.
Yes all dogs can bite, but these are not bites. These are maulings and dismemberment and death.
Before bully dog infestation of our community, these severe and fatal neutral ground attacks on dogs and attacks on humans everywhere simply did not occur.
This is so unacceptable. If the laws aren’t in place to ban these kind of dogs then the very least they could do is make it mandatory that all dogs over 20 pounds have a muzzle on anytime they are in public. A $20 muzzle could have saved this lady’s life. The law has failed her and the hundreds of others that have been killed by those malicious beasts.