Attorney Comments After Judge Throws Out Felony Charges in Fatal Dog Attack Case

Jerry Yates daughter, Jami Southard, and flowers placed where his life ended. Dead Men Tell No Tales archived Calaveras County, CA - On March 22, Recordnet.com reported that Calaveras County Superior Court Assigned Judge Thomas A. Smith ruled that Sheryl Sellers would not face trial on felony charges after the mauling death of Jerry Yates. The judge cited California Penal Code Section 399, which requires prosecutors to prove that the person killed by vicious dogs took "re… [Read full blog post]

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Mountain Ranch Man Mauled to Death by Two Pit Bulls

Jerry Yates' seen in his Celebration of Life photograph. Pleads Not Guilty UPDATE 09/17/10: Sheryl Sellers pleaded not guilty in a crowded courtroom on Tuesday, despite her dogs involvement in previous acts of aggression. Sellers lawyer, Ken Foley, also filed a motion to dismiss Judge Douglas Mewhinney declaring that he was prejudiced against the defendant. Yates' daughter, Jami Southard, had hoped Sellers would plead guilty and put the incident to rest. "She’s not goi… [Read full blog post]

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Military Family Dog Kills 2-Year Old Boy in Tierrasanta

Mother of Child Killed by Dog Sentenced to Probation by Judge Valerie Grace Carlson, 30-years old, sentenced after the mauling death of her son. Mother Sentenced archived UPDATE 09/29/11: The mother of a 2-year old boy mauled to death by a dog while she was in a "drunken stupor" in her Tierrasanta home was sentenced to 5-years probation. Valerie Grace Carlson, 30, was also ordered by Judge Laura Halgren to complete a one-year jail term. Since her arrest back in April, combined… [Read full blog post]

U.S. Marine Corps Bans Pit Bulls and Other Breeds; Policy Affects All Privatized Housing

Marine Corps Pet PolicyVirginia - Following the April action of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, which banned pit bulls, rottweilers, wolf hybrids and their mixes from base housing and prohibited visitors from bringing them onto base, the U.S. Marine Corps recently adopted the same policy for all U.S. and overseas Marine Corps installations. The new uniform pet policy cites similar language as spoken by base commanding officer Col. Richard P. Flatau Jr. following Camp Le… [Read full blog post]