Michael Blaise Landry, 4-years old, was attacked and killed by three boxers.
Deputy Released Dogs
UPDATE 04/14/09: Authorities say it was an off-duty Pointe Coupee Parish sheriff's deputy who released three boxers out of their cages just moments before the dogs attacked and killed Michael Landry. 18th Judicial District Attorney Ricky Ward said his only option as a prosecutor would be to file a negligent homicide charge, which would require establishing that the child’s death was the result of gross negligence -- defined as a "gross deviation of normal standards of care."
Ward said he has prepared Michael's family for the possibility that neither the off-duty deputy, Rob Roy of New Roads, or the dogs' owner and Roy's fiancée, Candace Wells, will be arrested in their son's death. "I don't see there being a criminal prosecution at this time," Ward said. Debra Patin, a cousin of Michael's mother, Tammy Landry, said that Michael's parents aren’t thinking of a criminal prosecution at this time. "All we're worried about is a little boy we have to put in a grave," she said.
Sheriff Beauregard “Bud” Torres said Roy, a three-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and a member of the office’s K-9 division, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the State Police investigation.
Torres described Roy as “a very caring, good guy” who is distraught over Michael’s death.
Roy let the dogs loose Friday at the Morganza home of Todd Wells, who is Candace Wells’ father, as Roy helped his fiancée clean the dogs’ kennels, Torres said. - Koran Addo, The Advocate, April 14, 2009
100th U.S. Fatal Dog Attack (3.25 Year Period)
The death of Michael Landry is the 12th fatal attack DogsBite.org has recorded in 2009 and the 100th death since January 1, 2006. In the 3-year period of 2006 through 2008, canines inflicted 88 fatal attacks in the United States. Boxers accounted for just 2 of these deaths (3 if one includes the conflicting media reports of "bulldog-boxer mixes" involved in the death of John Matthew Davis). Boxers and their mixes account for 2.5% of the 100 fatal attacks in the 3.25 year period.
04/11/09: "Care Taker" Cleaning Kennel
New information about the death of Michael Landry has been released. Captain Steve Juge told reporters that a man "acting as caretaker" for one or more of the dogs was cleaning out the kennel at the time of the fatal mauling. The man tried to rescue the boy, and was also taken to a hospital because his blood pressure spiked. He was not bitten by the dogs. Authorities will not release his name until the investigation is complete. Three dogs were reportedly involved in the attack.
He said the caretaker was cleaning out the kennel next door, and went into a shed to fill the dogs' food bowls when the animals came into the yard where Michael was playing and his mother gardening nearby, Juge said.
A chain-link fence runs between the two houses but not behind either, Juge said, and barbed-wire fencing ran behind the kennel.
The child's father told deputies that the dogs had never gone into his yard before, Juge said. - Associated Press, April 11, 2009
04/11/09: Child Mauled to Death by Dogs
Morganza, LA - In a developing story, a 4-year old boy was killed by at least one dog as he played in his family's own yard in Morganza, Louisiana. "Somehow the dogs got out of a pen and the four-year-old was playing in the yard next door and the dogs attacked the child," said Captain Steve Juge of the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Department. Michael Blaise Landry was airlifted to Point Coupee General Hospital in New Roads. Authorities said he did not survive his injuries.
Captain Steve Juge added that the owners of the dogs -- who live in a home very close to the child's home -- are friends with Michael's family. The sheriff's department does not have a record of complaints on the dogs, described as boxers, or their owners. Further, Juge points out that it is clear these animals were family pets. "These dogs are pets. They were on concrete, very well-maintained animals." The dogs were loaded into vans and taken into away by animal control.
Related articles:
06/24/09: Louisiana State Dog Attack Law (HB 155) Wins Final Legislative Approval
09/04/08: 2008 Dog Bite Fatality: Luna McDaniel, 83-Years Old, Dies from Pit Bull Injury
Cleaning out the kennel at the time the dogs escaped? A “caretaker” not the actual dog owner?
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http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090411/NEWS01/90411001/-1/rss
“He said Saturday that a man acting as caretaker for one or more of the dogs tried to rescue the boy, and was taken to a hospital because his blood pressure spiked. Juge said the man was cleaning out the kennel next door at the time. Animal control officers took all three dogs.”
Sounds like a “Rescue Operation” for “boxer mixes” back in the spillway. Another baby sacrificed on the altar of Dog Culture.
What everyone doesn’t know is that one of these dogs bit the older brother of this boy a while back. The dog owners should be punished.
Some comments left at Topix regarding this death:
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http://www.topix.com/forum/city/new-roads-la/T6LMMDGV7AOQC1G3G/p2
QUOTE: Before making any further legal suggestions, please consider what the owners of this dog might be going through. I respect the opinions of all in this forum, however anyone can simply have an ignorant opinion about something they have heard on the news. Let’s give all parties the dignity they deserve
RESPONSE: I know exactly where they live. There house is about 200 yrds from the dog pins. You apparently own murdering dogs of the same caliber. I personally will start hunting all boxers, pit bulls and all other bull dog looking dogs. You need to shut the hell up, this isn’t over by no means.
(User: McFarland): OK THERE ARE ALOT OF THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED BEFORE WE GO PLAYING THE BLAME GAME FOLKS. FOR ONE, WERE THE DOGS IN THEIR PEN AND THE CHILD GO GET IN THE PEN? DID THE CHILD INSTIGATE, MAYBE POKING WITH A STICK OR THROWING ROCKS? IF THESE WERE THE CASE(AND I DO NOT KNOW) THEN I DONT SEE HOW THE OWNER OF THE DOG SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.
(User: Parent in Morganza): Tammy and Robert Landry are wonderful parents.They take care of their family. The dog owners have sued people and their son has never had to pay for any of his crimes..they also blame everone else no
mattered what happened.Remember Morganza is a small town and every knows the dogs owners and how they are.They are wanting to blame anyone but themselves now.
(User: Lolita): that is what i heard from someone who knows that the lady breeds boxers and pits.
(User: Wait One Minute): I also heard that one of the dogs were a pit(only what I heard from a neighbor of the dog owner).Robert and Tammy might be good people but their dogs weren’t worth a…
Blaise Landry was playing in his yard, His parents were there also. Those 3 boxers were let out of their pen to run in the yard. The dogs went into the Landrys yard. grab that sweet baby. Robert and Tammy had to fight to get the dogs to let go of their baby, even after Robert was holding Blaise those dogs were attacking him trying to get the baby out of his arms. Blaise was killed by those dogs, they need to be put down. They are at the vets office in New Roads right now. They are killers.
Thank goodness the neighbors didn’t own chihuahuas! If they had, Robert and Tammy would have been killed, too! (Please note the sarcasm.) I am so thoroughly disgusted by pit nutters that claim dogs will never attack unless provoked. My heart goes out to Tammy and Robert. How devastating this must be for them — not only to have a child killed by dogs, but to have to witness it…my prayers go out to them.
A child died.
What is NOT gross negligence here?
Sounds like they are trying to protect a deputy, who wqas hired to protect public safety and should have known better
Plus this sounds like an illegal breeding operation, and it sounds like it is PIT BULLS falsely being called boxers
Pit rescues lie all the time and call pit bulls “boxers”
“even after Robert was holding Blaise those dogs were attacking him trying to get the baby out of his arms. Blaise was killed by those dogs, they need to be put down. They are at the vets office in New Roads right now. They are killers.”
These sound like pit bulls ALL THE WAY.
“Sheriff Beauregard “Bud” Torres said Roy, a three-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and a member of the office’s K-9 division, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the State Police investigation”
Great. He’s in K9 and he’s hanging out with people who have a history of aggressive dogs and bad behavior
and he’s getting paid vacation for what he did
By the way, they are trying to claim this guy’s fiance, Candace Wells, is the owner.
But it sounds like these are owned by the family
“Roy let the dogs loose Friday at the Morganza home of Todd Wells, who is Candace Wells’ father, as Roy helped his fiancée clean the dogs’ kennels, Torres said.”
Sounds like Todd Wells has had issues!
That makes two fatal attacks involving officers this year (three actually if you count that the Mesa attack involved two officers that were parents).
The Topix thread is on page 8 now:
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http://www.topix.com/forum/city/new-roads-la/T6LMMDGV7AOQC1G3G/p8
http://www.mylife.com/candace-wells-new-roads-la-2679056295-c.html
Candace's Friends & Family (3 of 5)
Name City, State
Todd Wells Morganza, LA Marianna Wells Morganza, LA Clarence Wells Morganza, LA
Clarence Wells is 69, probably father of Todd Wells, Clarence's probable wife Marianna 67 year old
This sounds like a family breeding operation. And it sounds like they are trying to avoid liability by claiming the owner is a 20 something kid, the grandaughter
Where Candace's Lived (4 of 4)
City, State
New Roads, LA Morganza, LA Oscar, LA Ventress, LA
You know what—- dont’t pass the blame! You have a IDIOT that is on the force, whom apparently is an Idiot, for letting the dogs out!!!?????????? He needs to step up and face the fact that he has cost a childs life because he is an IDIOT!!!!!!!!!! I have NO simpathy for him!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless the parents that have to deal with this!!!!!!!!!
Case Closed, No Charges:
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"MORGANZA, LA (WAFB) – The case of a deadly dog mauling in Morganza is officially closed. After hours of testimony, and a trip to Morganza, the grand jury decided not to indict the owners of the three boxers.
4 year-old Michael Landry was attacked and killed outside his Morganza home back on April tenth. Friday, a New Roads grand jury visited the scene off Highway 3050 and saw Landry's autopsy photos.
But in the end, decided there wasn't enough evidence to indict dog owners Candice Wells and Pointe Coupee sheriff's deputy Rob Roy."
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=10331005&nav=menu57_2
No charges filed in mauling
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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/44629832.html
“However, Robert Landry said he felt community service or some other type of punishment for Roy and Wells would have sent a message to other dog owners to be more watchful of their pets.
“So anybody who has a dog, if that dog kills someone, they have nothing to lose,” Robert Landry said. “That’s what I get out of this.”
Landry also said he hopes the Legislature enacts measures that would hold animal owners criminally accountable for their pets’ behavior.
It looks like the local government has stepped up to the plate to get things moving on tougher laws to punish dog owners that do not control their animals. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/44852087.html
Louisiana House Bill 155 is in the works:
{This act shall be known as the "Luna McDaniel and Michael Blaise Landry Act" in honor of Mrs. Luna McDaniel, a resident of Ville Platte, LA and Michael Blaise Landry of Morganza, LA.}
We are hoping this bill becomes law by this fall.
The Luna McDaniel and Michael "Blaise" Landry bill has passed and was signed by the governor on 7/2/09. It will go into effect 8/15/09.
God Bless you Blaise!!!!!