Apache County Dog Owners Face Felony Charges After Fatal Attack
Two adults were arrested after a child was killed by three pit bull-mixes in Apache County.
Child Killed by Dogs
Apache County, AZ - A 2-year old girl is dead and two adults have been charged after three dogs attacked the toddler. On June 21, at about 5:00 pm, the Apache County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) received a call for assistance for a child severely injured in a "domestic dog attack," according to an ACSO report. Deputies responded to a home at 40 County Road 3043, south of Concho. The child was taken to Summit Regional Medical Center in Show Low, where she later died.
After investigating, deputies arrested the owners of three pit bull-mix dogs. Jason Brad Kruse, 50, and Tonjia Maria Chubokoff, 51, were arrested and booked into the Apache County Jail on one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon -- which is a class 2 felony because of the victim's age -- and assault by a vicious animal at large, a class 5 felony, reports the White Mountain Independent. The remote location of the attack lies between Phoenix and Albuquerque.
The first charge, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, is a charge we rarely see in fatal dog maulings, as it clearly speaks to "intent." Prosecutors in Oklahoma tried several years ago, but the witness who allegedly observed this intent (commanding his pit bulls to attack), was unreliable. Also, a woman in Kentucky, who went "redneck" on a man, beating him and commanding her pit bull to attack him, accepted a plea in 2022 and was sentenced to 20 years in a state prison.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Arizona Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
11/09/22: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Charged with Murder After Violent Pit Bull Attack
05/09/22: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Violent Pit Bull Mauling in Tulsa; Owner Charged with Murder
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.
It’s a dam shame that the poor two year baby have to suffer a horrific death because of her parents choice of dog.it bad enough the knucklehead have the bright idea not to own one not two but three dangerous dogs.do these parents have a working brain cell between them gezz honey pie what kind of dog should we I know pitbull poor baby girl she no longer alive her life cut short because of pitbull.
I am her parent and we should blame the dog breed in this case he trained his dogs to kill they will get what they deserve but anyways they belonged to my neighbors.
I’m sorry for your loss. Just terrible! What ever happened to the dogs owners?
I knew this man at one time, here in Colorado back in the early 2000’s.
They are likely pitbull breeders. After all, 75% to 80% of pitbulls are not spayed/neutered.
Pitbull owners mostly.let their dogs run loose. If those pitbulls disappear, it’s very easy to find more pitbulls.
It is so sad that a young child has died as a result of nasty pitbulls.
I hope the owners get long prison sentences.
Maybe someone who reads this might decide to confine his/her pitbulls or take them to a shelter..
I feel like something is missing from the article. For the owners to be charged with the class 2 felony, doesn’t it have to be proven that they knowingly let their dangerous dogs attack?
The people who were arrested saw the baby girl laying on the ground, wrapped her up in a towel and just left her in her yard. They need to be charged with murder
That is a lie, people that found the little girl. The woman that is in the picture. It is my sister and she tried. Giving her CPR. And there are the ones that call 911.they should not be charged for murder. It was a horrible accident that was Devastating For the family and for the couple. My sister wouldn’t ever leave a child like that. Where ever you’re getting your information It’s wrong.
Erica. I don’t care what they did after that infant was attacked. It’s too little, too late.
Whoever *chose* to own three pitbulls that *allowed those dogs to get to that baby* are like someone who puts a child in the car and drives drunk. It doesn’t matter if they “don’t mean it”–it’s reckless homicide. People who do that feel regret afterwards, too. Regret won’t bring that baby, back nor give the mother her normal life, back.
They were adults, in control of their faculties, with the information of the internet at their fingertips and they still chose to get THREE of THESE pitbulls and not build secure containment.
It’s no more a “horrible accident” than driving drunk and killing someone. It was a *choice* that led to the death of this baby and the eternal suffering of that baby’s mother and family.
A commenter on the Apache County Sheriff’s Facebook announcement of the woman’s arrest said that the dogs jumped into a neighbor’s fenced property and killed the baby in her mother’s arms. The person said that the things ripped the child’s arm off and she bled out before help arrived.
I…this is so monstrous. Are there even words for such horror? A baby died in agony and her mother will live on in enless misery, haunted by the sight and her own helplessness. What a nightmarish existence these beasts create for their victims.
This explains the charges. Law enforcement seems to be more understanding when families sacrifice their
own infants to their own dogs. I hope that justice will be severe. I hope the mother has support – I hope for her whatever can help her or offer her any kind of solace.
By the way, the mom of baby Lola Jayde Farr has posted recently on Reddit and she has found no justice.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BanPitBulls/comments/14g9a0l/i_lost_my_22_month_old_baby_lola_jayde_farr_to_a/
I know the family of the baby girl. The people that were arrested were the neighbors of the little girl.
I’m the woman sister and she isn’t taking this easy. They found that little by their fence yes the dogs got out the yard non of the dogs were visious or had a record they were only puppies 1 years old one dog one was only 6 months old and the 3rd I don’t know about.
I’m just tired of making look like their murderers when their not. It really was a horrible accident and very devastating to the family and the couple that’s been arrested. My sister is under suicide watch because of it.
This needs to stop they are not murderers they tried to help her and they are the one’s that called 911.
My comment might not be released because my other one’s weren’t but somehow it was Acknowledged
In all fairness to your sister, the ages of the dogs is a bit telling.
It sounds like she got three pitbulls in quick succession. Or her partner, did.
This is common in two basic scenarios. The first is, to breed the dogs.
The second is, when the pitbull cult has conned another mark into taking on more pitbulls than they could ever reasonably manage. They do this by guilting out dog lovers as if three pitbulls were as easy to care for as three poodles.
If these were beagles, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The baby wouldn’t be dead, the mother wouldn’t be traumatized, the baby’s family wouldn’t be devastated and your sister would not be racked with regret.
If they climbed or broke the fence the worst that might happen would be a treed squirrel or a nervous neighbourhood cat. The only thing dead would be a tennis ball.
How culpable your sister is in this has nothing to do with what happened afterwards–but what happened before, and during, the attack.
I’m sure she does feel horrified. She’s sadly come to the place that too many pitbull owners come to through trauma–that the sales pitch to take home these dogs is a con job. All that cuddling and wagginess proves nothing when they decide they want something, there is nothing a pitbull won’t do to get at it and maul it.
They’re a dog without brakes.
The only brakes are strong confinement and a deep understanding of what they were bred to do and not buying the hype that they are some kind of safe house pet. They are a fighting dog through and through.
You didn’t do this. You aren’t responsible for this. She’s your sister, you love her, I get that. You can’t prevent this happening to others if you keep calling it an “accident” because it wasn’t. It was forseeable.
The victim’s family was destroyed by this society’s refusal to address the pitbull problem by outright banning them and so was yours.
Boni, you are the voice of sanity and reason in a culture seemingly obsessed with dangerous dogs and full of people who do not take responsibility for their poor decisions.
While I was not there, as were none of you either…and we will continue to play coach lawyers…I will say I do know the female that was arrested and she would NEVER have let this happen especially the way people have commented here. While I personally am NOT a fan of this breed at all for all reasons mentioned and some, I do know the little girl slept with pit bulls, and was around them. I do think this all is a horrible tragedy all the way around. And I am not for victim blaming but the facts are this child wondered to their property which is a ways away in an area where there are bears, and numerous other wild life that could have easily dont the same. I do think the parents are culpable also for not being there. It is not unheard of for a dog either a pit bull or chihuahua to protect its space this could have been a lab etc. The fact that this was a 2 year old is horrible enough but when you start adding up the facts there is a lot of blame to go around. I don’t think they should be charged with murder or be seen as such its just to ridiculous! Actually it is outrageous! If they are charged for negligence for having these dogs as to why the child is not here the parents should be equally as charged for not being home and the child wondering off without supervision. It may sound rough I get it but it is true. And when the facts are spoken they will speak for themselves and all this batting at the air for theories will be for nothing. All I am saying is not to try the owners before you have the whole facts. Again I am not a fan of this breed they are dangerous period. But the parents also owned the same breed. Let the information come out then pass couch judgement. I am sorry to the family this is terrible 😞 but I am praying for Toniia because she doesn’t deserve to be in jail!!!!! Period.
Please help out my Cousins family and donate. Even a dollar will help to make sure a proper service is afforded. Thank you. Link below.
https://gofund.me/60b0f318
To everybody that wants to blame this blame that I am the girl’s mother and I’m just saying yes, it was a grave mistake by everybody but my daughter will never be back again because An irresponsible dog Owner None of this arguing is going to bring her back so i’m just saying let’s stop arguing I just want to remember her. None of this arguing is going to bring her back so I’m just saying let’s stop arguing. I just want to remember my daughter for the happy curious adventure for prettiest.
Prettiest full of love.
A happy little girl. That has the biggest smile. Probably really understand what happened. The one thing I understand is that my daughter’s gone. And she wouldn’t want everybody arguing.
Thank you and god bless in god bless from the mother of Faith Ann hope Mcguire Mommy loves you, bucket.
I know you’re always Mommy loves you, bucket.
I know you’re always with us.
I don’t see Dogsbite folks blaming the mom. That sounds more like the pitbull lobby cult, to me.
It seems our regulars here are putting the responsibility on the *pitbulls*, those that promote them as family pets and the decision to own those pitbulls.
At least, that’s how I’m reading it.
There isn’t a parent on the planet that hasn’t suddenly had to run to the loo, or turn their back on a toddler or infant for a brief moment at some point because that’s real life.
What IS preventable, is not having an apex predator running around the neighbourhood eating infants when that happens. What is also preventable, is people not buying or supporting that breed that overwhelmingly is the most likely animal to kill your pet, your livestock or your child.
If a tiger ate this child it would be front page news and everyone would be screaming for tigers to be banned in residential neighborhoods. Not every tiger eats children either–but they’ve done it statistically often enough that we all know it’s a bad idea to keep apex predators in the dog kennel next door.
Every time there’s a tragedy there are those who say, “Oh let’s not discuss this right now.” Well yes, now is *exactly* the time to discuss it because by next week the news will move on to the next victim. And the next. And the next after that.
Most of us would like to stop reading about the victims of this entirely preventable problem.
I miss her everyday love you faith ann hope mcguire