Ohio's Weak Dangerous Dog Laws: 4-Part Investigation by Collaboration of News Organizations

New Legislation is Already Being Crafted

A stunning and powerful 4-part investigation into Ohio's weak dangerous dog laws.

Part 1: Dog Laws Fail Victims
Columbus, OH - In early March, a 4-part investigation was published by a collaboration of news agencies after a 9-month investigation of Ohio's dangerous dog attacks and weak state laws. The Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch, Akron Beacon Journal and Canton Repository all participated: "We interviewed nearly 60 victims, family members, lawyers, pediatricians, dog wardens, lawmakers and others and submitted more than 50 public records requests to agencies across the state."

Governor DeWine said in response, he has "every confidence this legislature" will take this up "because the story was very compelling."

The interviews and records revealed that state law does not mandate euthanasia of a vicious dog until it kills a second human, and even after severe maulings, dog owners typically pay a fine that is akin to a traffic ticket. Their legal team also sued the Village of Ashville in the Ohio Court of Claims to apply pressure to the police department to release bodycam footage of officers responding to the fatal attack of Jo Ann Echelbarger, 73, last October. This is why the public has access to the video.

Part 1 summarizes the multitude of failures leading up to the fatal mauling of Echelbarger. The two pit bulls involved, Apollo and Echo, had a history of attacks, Apollo had been declared "dangerous" a year earlier, and the condo association had obtained a court order forcing the removal of both dogs six weeks before the attack, but never enforced it. For three months beforehand, the Withers' front door deadlock was stuffed with a white rag, rendering the door useless in keeping the dogs confined.

As Echelbarger bent down to work in her flower bed, the two dogs exited the Withers' home and viciously attacked her. The dogs tore off her scalp and broke her neck as her husband, who has Parkinson's disease, watched behind a screen door, unable to help. In February, the dogs' owners, Adam and his mother Susan Withers, were convicted of felony involuntary manslaughter. Both had been locked up in the Pickaway County Jail since October 31, each held on a $500,000 bond.

Part 1 introduces other parts of the series. It examines the attacks of Michael Palmer, Eva Simons, Amriel Wilkinson and Avery Russell; each are part of the video segment. Part 1 also addresses the 2014 fatal mauling of Klonda Richey -- another case with a multitude of failures. Klonda had filed 13 complaints with animal control and made 46 calls to a dispatch center about her neighbor's dogs before they killed her. Legislative reforms have been introduced since, but none have succeeded.

Amputation, Measly Pay Out

In 2022, Eva Simons, 66, was attacked by three pit bulls when she stopped her bike after getting a flat tire in Vinton County. She tried to fend them off to no avail. "I made a decision while it was happening. In order to save the rest of me, I just had to let them have the leg," Simons said. The day after the attack, the dog owners went trick-or-treating while surgeons cut off her leg. "That was painful to know,” she said. “While I was still fighting for my life in the hospital, they just went on with their life."

She estimates her medical bills, most of which were covered by insurance, came close to $1 million. The owner of the dogs paid $682 in fines and court costs. Simons sued the landlord who rented the home to the dog owners. She was successful in her pursuit, but the insurance policy capped liability coverage at $100,000. After attorney’s fees and paying back some medical bills, she was left with $46,000. "This is the only compensation I have received for the loss of my left leg," Simons said.

Other than a small fine, there was no accountability, she said. "There was nothing stopping them from getting another pack of dogs and doing the same thing." What Simons is referring to is the "vicious dog owner loop." After a grisly attack, the dog owner puts the dog down, acquires a new dog and the process starts all over again. The only way to break the loop after a damaging attack is to increase penalties for repeat offenders and ban them from owning or harboring dogs after multiple violations.

Some of the Ohio victims and their family members plan on talking to state lawmakers about reforming dangerous dog laws. They seek a felony dog attack law and euthanasia for dogs after their first serious attack. Avery's mother, Drew Russell, hired Columbus attorney Bill Patmon III for this pursuit, whose father years ago sponsored the bill to make animal cruelty a felony. Russell said that if we don't try to affect some kind of change, the suffering will continue. "It’s just going to keep happening."

Part 2 - The Story of Avery Russell

The video segment in part 2 depicts the story of Avery Russell from the moment the Reynoldsburg police arrive at the scene on June 11, 2024, through her heartbreaking process of recovery. When her mother Drew Russell arrived at the trauma unit after the attack, she said, "Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw." Avery's face was described as looking like "ground hamburger" after two pit bulls destroyed it. The doctors sewed her face back together. Avery still needs new ears and a new nose.

On the day of the attack, Drew dropped Avery off in the morning at Kiera's house, a classmate, then headed to work. Kiera's mother, Jessica Henry, called Drew that afternoon to tell her she was taking the girls to her cousin’s house in Reynoldsburg. Drew did not know there were four pit bulls at the home, nor did she know that two of Henry's children had been bitten by these dogs, including a bite to the face, less than a year earlier. One of the two pit bulls that attacked Avery is still alive.

Currently, under Ohio's dangerous dog laws, euthanizing a dog is not mandated until its killed a second persion. "That's crazy," Drew said.

Drew had to close her nail salon so she could devote all of her time to care for Avery. There is an endless stream of medical appointments, including physical, occupational, speech, and trauma. Avery is working towards regaining her basketball skills too. She still faces years of surgical procedures, medical treatments and rehabilitation. Avery is currently 11 years old. Her mother hopes she'll look "somewhat normal" by the time high school starts, "because that's when kids get the meanest."

Back in 2014, the same year Klonda Richey was killed by her neighbor's dogs, 6-year old Zainabou Drame suffered "unimaginable" injuries after being attacked by two pit bulls. The dogs ripped off her jaw, most of her teeth and tongue. Her attack brought the Cincinnati area to their knees and came two years after Ohio lawmakers repealed the state law that declared pit bulls "vicious," and replaced it with a convoluted, weak law, with the intent to de-regulate pit bulls, which remains law today.

Part 3 - The Story of Michael Palmer

Michael Palmer was attacked by his neighbor's pit bull when he visited her home in December 2022. He said that after she invited him in, he opened the screen door and the dog flew at him. The dog tore off his ears, thumbs, and index finger and part of this nose. In the video, a deputy is seen in the snow-covered yard trying to reach him. The pit bull is actively attacking Palmer when the deputy open fires on the dog, sending it scurrying away. The dog, "Piper," had previously attacked two other people.

Palmer spent nearly three months in hospitals undergoing multiple surgeries. He faces more in the future. He only has limited use of his hands now. He can't work as a machinist, play guitar or grasp small items. Currently, Palmer is suing the landlord, Kenneth Grable, alleging he had knowledge of the dog's vicious propensities but failed to take any action. Grable is the landlord of both Palmer and the dog's owner, Wendy Trippet. A jury trial is forthcoming in Summit County Common Pleas Court.1

The video segment shows Palmer holding up his hands. Large knobs are seen in place of his thumbs, and his right hand only has three fingers.

Palmer had initially sued Trippet too, but she was dismissed from the lawsuit without prejudice. Neither she nor Grable have liability insurance. Thus far, Grable is representing himself. He said he doesn't understand how he can be culpable. "How can somebody be guilty of something I had nothing to do with?" he asked. But dogbitelaw.com notes that in Ohio, “[A] harborer is one who has possession and control of the premises where the dog lives and silently acquiesces to the dog’s presence.”

Palmer said he doesn't like going out in public. "I go to stores and people stare," he said. He prefers to go out at night, when his injuries are less visible. He also suffers panic attacks when he hears keys and coins rattling, sounds that mimic a dog chain (Piper was also kept on a chain in Trippet's yard). "I see shadows of dogs all the time," he added. Palmer has been living with his mother in Lakemore since the attack, but she has a 180-pound rottweiler. Palmer said he often sleeps on friends' couches.

Part 4 - Dog Wardens Want Harsher Penalties

The last part hears the perspective of dog wardens. Reporters interview Licking County Chief Dog Warden Larry Williams and Assistant Dog Warden Jeremy Grant. In the video, Williams states, "We are a creature of statute." Dog wardens have police authority within the 955 statute pertaining to Ohio's dog laws, such as dogs at large, licensing and designations. Wardens can also be armed. Grant carries a firearm, taser and handcuffs and wears a vest. In his 11-year career, he's been shot at twice.

One of the duties of a warden is to follow up on owners of dogs declared "dangerous." The owner must muzzle the dog when off-property, post a visible warning sign, and buy an annual dangerous dog tag. The dangerous designation can be assigned after an unprovoked attack on a person or killing a pet dog. But not all dog wardens are the same. As seen in the Echelbarger case, Pickaway County Dog Warden Preston Schumacher has been sued by her estate for misconduct and failure of duty.

The Warden's Office and the Dog Warden "knew that the Withers' front door deadlock was stuffed with a white rag since at least July 2024, rendering the door useless in keeping Apollo and Echo confined," and "knew the Withers repeatedly, serially" and publicly flouted the dangerous dog requirements, states the lawsuit.

"Indeed, the Warden's Office and Dog Wardens were so utterly incompetent that when they attempted to bring charges against the Withers, they did so under the wrong revised code sections and failed to submit evidence, resulting in the dismissal and release of the dogs into The Reserve months prior to Jo Ann's death." 2

The Ohio County Dog Wardens Association (OCDWA) has a "wish list" for state law changes, including: establish statewide training standards for wardens; clarify the police powers of wardens; increase penalties for attacks causing serious injuries; require euthanasia of dogs deemed vicious; create a statewide database of dangerous dog designations and persons convicted of animal abuse; provide state funding for dog shelters; and require shelters to spay and neuter dogs before adoption.

Ohio Legislative Session

Legislators in Ohio begin their session in early January and it runs through December 31. Only a handful states have a 12-month legislative cycle each year. Sessions in most states end in May. This means that bills move more slowly in Ohio. There are no filing deadlines or chamber cross over deadlines either -- both help funnel promising bills towards the finish line. However, there's no better funnel than a mandate by the governor to prioritize certain legislation, as DeWine recently did.

Governor DeWine, who took office in 2019, is term-limiting out in 2026. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is running for governor in 2026. "Your pet choice is not as important as the lives of the people that have been attacked. I’m for treating this as a serious criminal offense," Yost told the Columbus Dispatch. Yost believes criminal penalties could be crafted that are similar to motor vehicle laws, such as serious injury and involuntary manslaughter statutes that apply to reckless vehicle operators.3

Legislation Background

The dangerous dog law that exists in Ohio today was drafted by an out-of-state animal rights PAC, whose mission was 2-fold: repeal the state law declaring pit bulls "vicious" and make it nearly impossible for prosecutors to pursue felony charges after a vicious attack. HB 14 was promoted as a bill that would “finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs.” It went into effect May 2012. By May 2014, three months after Klonda was killed, it became clear the bill was a sham.

"For instance, in Ohio, documents obtained through a public records request show that Best Friends drafted the legislation that altered Ohio’s Dangerous Dog statue in 2012. The bill written by Best Friends was sold to members of the Ohio Legislature as 'finally giving dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs.' In reality the law de-regulated pit bulls (the intent of the writers) and set up unworkable procedures that protected dangerous dogs and their irresponsible owners."4

But it gets worse. At the time of Klonda's death, Mark Kumpf was the Montgomery County Dog Warden. Klonda's estate sued Kumpf and Montgomery County afterward for his "willful disregard for his statutory duties." Not only was there a laundry list of complaints by Klonda about her neighbor’s dogs leading up to her death, of which Kumpf took no action upon, we learned during the litigation that Kumpf and his department destroyed key evidence. The case was settled for $3.5 million dollars.

Thus, in just a two-year time span, the defective bill, falsely promoted as a way to "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs," and strongly supported by Dog Warden Mark Kumpf, the true colors of the sham bill and Kumpf's negligence became known. By May of 2014, a revised state law was introduced to overcome the deficiencies of HB 14, which included the absence of a way for prosecutors to bring felony charges against the owners of the dogs that killed Klonda.

In the investigation by news agencies about Ohio's weak dog laws, Matt Granito, the Geauga County Dog Warden, states, "We’re tired of seeing these kids get torn up, and then just saying, well, we gotta wait. We gotta wait and when it gets loose again, we can do something ... We got to get them in court on the first bite and say 'what are you going to do to fix this problem?'" That is a far cry from what Granito testified to in 2011, standing beside Kumpf, that HB 14 would ensure "community safety."

Summary

The 4-part investigation by a collaboration of Ohio news agencies is illustrative, informative and urgent. Legislation attempts to fix the defective 2012 law began in earnest in 2014 and lasted through 2019. Key items in these bills are similar to what victims seek today, including: felony charges for owners of dogs after certain attacks, euthanasia for dogs after a first violent attack, establishing a registry for dangerous dogs and establishing requirements for the training of dog wardens.

The violence of the attacks profiled in this investigation are reinforced by the police bodycam videos -- an attack cannot be depicted with more urgency. The permanence of their injuries was also profiled up close. Each victim sustained lifelong injuries and civil recourse was absent, poor or undisclosed. Both Palmer and Amriel's huge medical bills were paid by Ohio Medicaid -- taxpayers. Amriel is the only victim thus far who likely secured a meaningful settlement from the dog owner's insurance company.

Governor DeWine is correct to say, "We clearly have to do something. We have to hold people more accountable." The remarks from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running for governor in 2026, are also promising. “I’m for treating this as a serious criminal offense," Yost said, just like we hold "people accountable for what happens to their cars." Ohio should join the 16 other states that have a felony dog attack law that does not require the dog to be legally "classified" beforehand.

In front of this officer are four things: a bloody canine homicide scene; a horrifically mauled woman, including the back of her scalp being ripped off from ear to ear; the active pit bull culprit; and a husband screaming behind a screen door, "That's my wife!" When the officer finally did fire on the attacking dog, it took 5 bullets to kill it. Watch the bodycam video.

Related articles:
03/12/25: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Ohio Woman and Dog Killed by Vicious Dogs in Ashville
03/03/20: Settlement Reached; Lawsuit Against Former Dog Warden and Montgomery County to Close