Posted on August 1, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Authorities Charge Grandmother with Multiple Felonies

Paris Adams, 20-months old, was mauled to death by two family pit bulls in Georgia.

10 Years Probation
UPDATE 04/09/18: There will be no trial after two family pit bulls killed 20-month old Paris Adams on August 1, 2017. The day after his death, his grandmother Sandra Adams, 70, was charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and second-degree cruelty to children. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Adams pleaded guilty in Hart County Superior Court to involuntary manslaughter in a plea deal last month. Adams was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Prior to her grandson's death, Adams had been cited multiple times about these same two pit bulls. There were at least six ordinance violations from 2013 to 2015, including the dogs being tangled in their tether, running at large and being aggressive. Earlier news reports misstated her sentence as "10 years in prison." There will be no prison time for Adams, unless she violates her probation conditions, which we hope includes a prohibition of owning or harboring any dogs.

08/03/17: Important Clarifications
After viewing raw footage -- nearly an hour long -- published by WYFF on August 2, we learned that the fenced area is the holding facility near the sewage plant, not the grandmother's property. Currently, there is no photograph of the "fenced area" on her property. We know from earlier citations the grandmother has a fenced area where the dogs escaped. The night shot published by WYFF late August 1 was not labeled; the edit suggested it was on the grandmother's property.

Basically, we got an advance shot of the holding facility, which was unlabled, the night before this raw footage was posted to Facebook.1

Additional information gleaned from the raw footage is an interview with Hartwell Police Chief Anthony Davis. He explained that the mother of the child, Amy Adams, goes back and forth in her living situation. She sometimes lives with her sister and her mother. Said another way, baby Paris went back and forth living with his aunt and grandmother. Both households have multiple pit bulls and multiple white pit bulls too (See: aunt's dogs). Authorities are still piecing this part together.

Notably, there is a curious post by Amy on October 13, 2014, seven days after "Whiteboy," one of the fatal attackers, was issued its first citation for being at large (See: page 7). "I just found out that i CAME CLOSE to not being able to breed him anymore! But moms slick when she needs to be- shhhh- its a secret!! (sic)," Amy wrote. The "Goin for a ride," post suggests she may have whisked the dog away from her grandmother's home at that time to prevent a municipal neutering threat.

This "public" Facebook post Amy hopes is a "secret" also suggests her criminally charged mother lied in some way about Whiteboy back then.

Another post that coincides with a citation was by Laura, Amy's sister. On the morning of October 16, 2014, the grandmother was issued a citation after a brown pit bull menaced two joggers. On the same day, Laura tries to give away this pit bull (Babygirl) for free, stating, "My mom just cannot keep her anymore." Laura also clears up any questions on whether this dog is a mix. "She is full blooded," Laura writes. "She is jeep rascal and gator gotti. No mixing in that bloodline at all (sic)."

Finally, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) leads this investigation and filed the charges. The question remains whether the child's mother will also be charged. If she is charged, it will be GBI that makes this determination, along with the district attorney's office. The other unknown factor is how much skipping a 9-1-1 call -- and stopping to pick up Paris' mother before taking him to Urgent Care -- plays into the charges against his grandmother. He arrived dead at the facility.

08/02/17: DA Press Conference
District Attorney Parks White gave a press conference today providing new details. On Tuesday afternoon, 20-month old Paris Adams was mauled to death by two family pit bulls while under his grandmother's care. Sandra Adams, 70-years old, was subsequently charged with multiple felonies. After the death investigation is complete, a grand jury will determine if Adams is indicted. White could not provide any details about the autopsy results or the "family relationships."

Adams was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and second-degree cruelty to children.

Adams has been cited multiple times in the past about these same two pit bulls. There were at least six ordinance violations from 2013 to 2015. The previous citations involve the dogs being tangled in their tether (typical shoddy pit bull ownership), running at large (typical shoddy pit bull ownership) and running at large being aggressive -- typical pit bull behavior. The citations indicate the child's mother was the actual owner of the pit bulls; the two may have been living together.2

"In March 2015, officers were called to Adams home after a woman said she was walking her dogs and they were attacked by a white pit bull at large. Officers said Adams told them she was walking her daughter's two dogs when their leashes became crossed and she dropped one of them." - Fox Carolina, August 2, 2017

As we have seen in the past, this may be another case of an adult "dumping" her pit bulls on a parent who is 70-years old. No citations have been issued to Adams since 2015. This may be due to an apparent kennel system that was built (seen in the recent WYFF footage). At the time of the attack, the pit bulls were inside the home. Adams and baby Paris were outside. When Adams attempted to re-enter her home, the dogs bolted out, knocking her down, and savaged the baby.

The family owns multiple white pit bulls. Pictured below is Blueboy with baby Paris in August 2016. Blueboy is the offspring of Whiteboy (also a white pit bull). Amy Adams, baby Paris' mother, writes in the post, "Blueboy kissing Paris. If only Blueboy's parents (Whiteboy and Babygirl) were like him!!!" This indicates both of the dog's parents have aggression issues and are likely the two dogs involved in the baby's mauling death. The pair are also siblings; the family bred them together.

Fox Carolina just posted footage of both pit bulls while under quarantine: Whiteboy and Babygirl. Fox Carolina also posted the previous incident reports -- we are just now going through them.

08/02/17: Criminal Charges Filed
Overnight, a number of new developments occurred. Authorities charged the child's grandmother with a range of offenses in connection to his mauling death. Sandra Bowers Adams, 70-years-old, was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to children and involuntary manslaughter. A news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation states Adams had been cited on multiple occasions by the Hartwell Police Department for maintaining disorderly animals.

"Staff at the Urgent Care had requested assistance from EMS and Law Enforcement after Sandra Adams and Amy Adams entered the office with Amy Adams’ twenty-month-old son. The child had suffered extensive injuries following an apparent dog attack. Medical personnel and EMS determined the child was unresponsive and the child was pronounced dead at 3:36 pm ...

Preliminary investigation suggests that Sandra Adams, the grandmother of the child, was at her residence located at 64 Highland Avenue Hartwell, Georgia babysitting the child. Adams and the child were outside. Adams attempted to re-enter her residence at which time two pit bulldogs that resided at the residence ran out the back door knocking Adams to the ground and attacking the child. Adams attempted to both shield the child from further attack and to pull the dogs away from the child. Eventually Adams was able to get the dogs back into the residence and pick up the child. Adams then transported the child to a nearby location where she picked up Amy Adams, the child’s mother, and the two transported the child to the Reddy Urgent Care in Hartwell.3

Historical information indicates that Sandra Adams had been cited on multiple occasions by the Hartwell Police Department under a city ordinance maintaining disorderly animals." - Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Last last night, we did uncover the "cast of characters" in the brutal pit bull mauling death of this little boy. The child's mother and her sister have about seven or so pit bulls between them. Both sisters are pit bull owners, backyard breeders and know their "bloodlines" too. It seems the grandmother also owned her own set of pit bulls and likely more than two. "Boilerplate" pit bull advocacy runs heavily in the family. The below two memes are from the mother's Facebook page.

08/01/17: Pit Bulls Kill Child
Hart County, GA - Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland confirmed a young boy is dead after being fatally attacked by two family pit bulls Tuesday afternoon. The 20-month old boy was attacked in the backyard of a home on Highland Avenue, near Athens Street. Hartwell Police Chief Anthony Davis said they were called about 3:15 pm. Deputy Coroner Scott Boleman said the parents transported the child to Reddy Urgent Care, where he was called and pronounced the boy dead.

The young child lived inside the home with the dogs, Sheriff Cleveland said. Earlier reports stated one of the family pit bulls was a "white pit bull." The Hartwell Police Department, the Hart County Coroner's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) are investigating the boy's death. The child's body has been sent to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy. The dogs will be observed for the next 24 to 48 hours before they are put down, according to the GBI, Sheriff Cleveland said.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Georgia Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1It's also the oldest trick in the book to claim someone else owns the dogs when being given a citation. The grandmother does this several times. First she blames an unknown man, then claims her daughter owns the dogs. This is not only to deny responsibility it is to deliberately confuse law enforcement. As noted in the reports, the officer had not checked to see if there were more citations about these same dogs under the daughter's name.
2If there was any delay in getting this severely injured child to the emergency center -- apparently the family did not call 9-1-1 -- that could result in these types of criminal charges. The grandmother's home is only 1.5 miles away from the Reddy Urgent Care center in Hartwell, but she also stopped to pick up the boy's mother beforehand.

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Police Charge Boy's Parents with Felony Injury to a Child

Jacob Brooks, 4-years old, was killed by a pack of family dogs in his backyard.

Parents Charged
UPDATE 09/30/17: The parents of a little boy mauled to death by dogs have been arrested. On July 27, 4-year old Jacob Brooks was killed by a pack of family dogs running loose in a backyard after his mother left him unattended in an enclosed trampoline. By the time first responders arrived, Jacob was already dead. A neighbor who witnessed part of the attack said the dogs "practically ate him." The dogs were known in the neighborhood for being loose and aggressive.

There were four dogs involved in the attack. One was a pit bull-mix adopted to Jacob's family in February by El Paso Animal Services.1

After an investigation by Crimes Against Persons, Brittany Brooks, 27, and Ashley Brooks, 29 were arrested at a relative's home Friday night. Both were charged with felony injury to a child and booked into the El Paso County Jail under a $75,000 bond.2 At the time of the attack, Jacob lived with his two siblings in the household. His siblings were later placed with relatives. Child Protection Services had investigated the couple in the past, but the outcome of that inquiry is not known.

Detectives also spoke with relatives who allegedly said the boy was "terrified" of the family pets. The criminal complaint states relatives allegedly witnessed Brooks "use the fear as discipline" by threatening to leave the boy along with the dogs if he misbehaved.

"The (investigator) believes the historical abuse of the animals, the (victim's) fear of these animals, the (mother's) lack or delay in checking up on him and the decision to allow the (victim) to remain by himself in the backyard with the animals were contributing factors in the death of the (victim)," the criminal complaint states. - KVIA, October 5, 2017

07/31/17: Multiple Dogs Euthanized
Animal control officials said three German shepherd-mixes and one pit bull were euthanized the same day they killed a 4-year old boy. On Thursday, Jacob Brooks' mother left him alone in an enclosed trampoline in the backyard, where four family dogs roamed. A teenager heard the boy's mother panic, saying her son had gotten away. The teenager jumped into her backyard to check there first and was confronted by the dogs and the boy's brutal mauling. Jacob was already dead.

Neighbors said the family had up to 10 dogs -- German shepherds and pit bulls -- of varying sizes. Officials seized six dogs from the home; two smaller dogs were inside during the attack. Neighbors said the outdoor dogs were aggressive and had escaped the family's property before. Back in April, his mother (or her partner) posted to a public Facebook group that she had just found a male pit bull. Hours later, she admits the pit bull escaped her property -- she lost an already lost dog.

(Initial post) "Found this male pit bull... he's very friendly and loves my kids, he trained so I know his owner is missing him."

(Later in the comment thread) "I'm sad to say that he got away from us today while we were out... he got out of our fence, I went out looking for him and did not find him ... I'm sorry everyone I really wanted to find his home."

07/28/17: Neighbor Recounts Scene
Neighbors told the El Paso Times the scene of the fatal mauling was chaotic. "The ambulance came, and when we saw the people who live there come out of the house crying, I imagined right away (what might have happened)," Ramon Payan said, who lives across the street from the boy's home. "They have a lot of dogs, and aggressive dogs -- pit bulls and German shepherds, big and small, about 10 dogs --- and young children," Payan said. The dogs "practically ate him," he said.

Payan said he believes two women and three children live at the home, including a baby. Payan described the women as screaming and throwing themselves on ground, but the boy was already dead. "Even when they were taken in the police car, they were still screaming and screaming," Payan said. It sounds like these women were "collecting" dogs and some were younger offspring. A pack of unsterilized aggressive dogs alone with a 4-year old, what could possibly go wrong?

While these women are extremely traumatized, it certainly is a case worth prosecuting against the child's mother. At least one neighbor had warned her about the pack's aggression and how they often escaped her backyard. The dogs were a known problem in both areas -- being loose and aggressive. Then she abandoned her 4-year old son, Jacob Brooks, in an "enclosed trampoline" in the backyard where the aggressive pack roamed. That is neglect in Texas, just to get started.

Sec. 261.001. DEFINITIONS. "Neglect" includes:

(a) placing a child in or failing to remove a child from a situation that a reasonable person would realize requires judgment or actions beyond the child's level of maturity, physical condition, or mental abilities and that results in bodily injury or a substantial risk of immediate harm to the child;

07/28/17: Pack of Family Dogs Kill Boy
El Paso, TX - A little boy was mauled to death by a pack of dogs Thursday evening. El Paso police identified the child as Jacob Brooks. "The child had been left by his mother in an enclosed trampoline in the backyard where there were four dogs," police stated in a news release. The deadly attack happened in the 9100 block of Morelia. The boy was discovered dead at the scene. Investigators said the four dogs belong to the homeowner and the child lived at the residence.

"Everything went by so fast. I'm still shaking and I haven't been able to sleep at all because it's shocking." - Sebastian Hernandez

15-year old Sebastian Hernandez, a neighbor, witnessed the attack through his kitchen window. Sebastian said his 13-year old brother, Albert, managed to pry one of the dogs off the boy, but then had to defend himself against the dogs. "Those dogs were really crazy, they were always biting on each other," he said. Sebastian's grandmother said she knew the family. She had warned the family in the past about the dogs' aggression and how they often escaped their backyard.

Animal control seized all four dogs -- the breeds were not identified. The El Paso Times captured a photograph of the "enclosed trampoline" in the backyard of the home where the dogs were kept. According to a report by KFox14, it seems the boy was able to get out of the enclosure. Albert was playing basketball nearby when he heard a woman crying and saying her son had gotten away. He decided to check the backyard first, which is when he encountered the dogs and found her son.

"The child's mother was placed into protective custody and turned over to medical professionals at a medical facility," - El Paso Police Department

NBC4i confirmed they were all family dogs. A neighbor who did not want to be identified said this is traumatic for the whole neighborhood. We see the children playing outside everyday, he said. "How are you going to come back and [now you] won't be seeing the little boy ever again?" The soft-spoken man is especially concerned for the teenager who tried the save the child from the dogs. "I think it’s going to be real hard for him," the man said, "I think he saw his [the boy’s] face."

(Multiple fatal and nonfatal dog attacks have involved a child playing on a trampoline beforehand. The last similar fatality is also from Texas, the brutal mauling death of 5-year old Tanner Smith.)

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Texas Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

1It's unknown where the three German shepherd-mixes came from. However, these two women were dog "collectors," so the sources are unlimited. At the time of the attack, they had six dogs in their household.
2There are conflicting reports of bail with media outlets reporting $75,000 and also $7,500.

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Fostoria Man Dies After Breaking Up Pit Bull Fight

Michael Parks, 60-years old, died after breaking up a pit bull fight in Fostoria.

Vicious Pit Bull Fight
UPDATE 07/23/17: New information has been released about a man who died after trying to break up a vicious pit bull fight Thursday night. According to a Fostoria police report, 42-year old Amy Loving was walking her pit bull near 845 Davoli Street at about 11 pm when a pit bull belonging to 60-year old Michael Parks bolted from its home and brutally attacked her dog. Parks intervened and was bitten multiple times by one or both dogs. Police said Parks suffered serious injuries.

"We’re not exactly sure which dog bit him, if it was the one or both. He did have serious injuries as a result." - Astoria Police Chief Keith Loreno

Two 9-1-1 calls came in, one from Parks' frantic wife and the second from a person claiming a "vicious dog" killed another dog and attacked a man. According to the police report, Loving's dog was "badly mangled" in the attack. She was unsure if it would survive. The Seneca County Dog Warden took Parks' pit bull, named Mia, into custody. Earlier, Parks' sister-in-law claimed Mia was a "gentle giant" and was "not a vicious dog at all." Then Mia suddenly exploded like a bomb.

Victim's Wife Interviewed

13 ABC spoke to the victim's wife. Cheryl Parks said he was fighting kidney disease and was on dialysis. On Thursday night they had been celebrating his 60th birthday. "I could accept it better," she said, if he had died from dialysis, "not him being bit by a dog." Cheryl said her daughter's pit bull, Mia, flew out of the yard and attacked Loving's pit bull. Cheryl said she tried to separate the two pit bulls and that she did not see a leash on Loving's dog, whose condition is still unknown.

07/22/17: Pit Bull Owner Dies
Fostoria, OH - Late Thursday night, a man died after breaking up a fight between two pit bulls. 60-year old Michael Parks let his pit bull, named Mia, outside at about 11 pm. The dog bolted across Davoli street and attacked a leashed pit bull being walked by its owner. While trying to break up the fight, Parks was bitten on his recently installed dialysis shunt, which is a connection between a vein and artery, usually located on the forearm or upper arm. He suffered massive bleeding.

Michael Parks was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that night.

Fostoria Police Chief Kieth Loreno reminds dog owners how dangerous dog-on-dog attacks are. "If you stick your hands down there and the dog is fighting with the other one with their teeth, obviously you're going to get injured," he said. Such attacks are exponentially more dangerous when involving one or more pit bulls. Parks' sister-in-law, "who did not want to be identified," claimed Mia was a "gentle giant." It is unknown what became of Parks' pit bull or the leashed one.

Similar Dog Bite Fatalities

A similar death occurred in Cincinnati in 2012. Ronnel Brown, 40, was attacked by his own pit bull-mix. Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco explained, "He was on dialysis and had a device in his forearm that during the scuffle with the dog, the dog bit him in the forearm and ripped a hole in that device, that led to a lot of blood loss." Because Brown's dog was going "berserk," paramedics had to wait 10 minutes before entering his home. When they did he was already dead.

A "well-placed bite" by a pit bull without an apparatus involved has occurred on occasion in the past too. In 2015, Roy Higgenbotham, 62, died after a pit bull bite severed his radial artery near his left wrist directly causing his death. In 2014, Nancy Newberry quickly bled to death after her daughter's pit bull bit her in the abdomen where she had previously had an operation. In 2008, Robert Howard bled to death in Detroit after a stray pit bull tore out a major artery in his calf.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Ohio Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Baseline reporting requirements:
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.

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Alex Geiger, 25, Faces Three Felonies After Vicious Mauling Death

The victim, David Fear, and former officer Alex Geiger's police-trained K-9.

Geiger Will Stand Trial
UPDATE 07/20/17: On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Hugh Mullin III ruled the criminal case against a former Grover Beach police officer will move forward. On December 13, Alex Geiger's attack-trained police K-9, which he kept as a "personal" pet after leaving the Exeter K-9 unit in August, escaped his property and mauled two people, killing one. Geiger faces two felonies for failing to maintain control of a dangerous dog and one felony count of involuntary manslaughter.

There is an inherent danger (with keeping retired police dogs), and I think Officer Geiger knew that. - San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Hugh Mullin III

Despite Geiger's defense raising a number of protocol breaches by Sgt. Juan Leon -- Geiger's supervisor and the first officer on the scene of the attack -- Judge Mullin determined there was enough evidence to proceed to trial. David Fear, 64, died from complications of blood loss due to his bite injuries three days after the attack. Betty Long, 86, suffered bite injuries and broken bones from falling. She was released from a rehabilitation center in March and continues to recover.

"Retired" Police Dogs

Wednesday's proceedings, along with Judge Mullin's ruling, focused on "retired" police dogs and the absence of "standard procedures" to follow for officers and other owners of these dogs. Mullin stated, "Maybe police departments should do something about it." This spells out our main interest in this case. Geiger had to sign a waiver with the city of Exeter when he purchased this dog, removing the city of any liability if it ever attacked someone under his "private" ownership.

Cities protect their wallets when releasing K-9s to "private" ownership and good luck obtaining homeowner's insurance for one of these dogs.

Geiger's Belgian malinois, Neo, was hardly retired in the traditional sense. The police-trained K-9 was only 2.5 years old. One month before the fatal attack, Geiger had unsuccessfully lobbied Grover Breach to start a K-9 program. Four months earlier, Neo had been active duty with Geiger in the Exeter K-9 unit, which is why Geiger had to pay over $5,000 dollars for the dog -- it still had some years left. Older, traditionally "retired" police K-9s are usually gifted to their handlers for $1.

Shadowy K-9 Market

Also on Wednesday, Jay Brock testified. Brock operates Top Dog Training Center, a police K-9 training center in Tulare County. Earlier news reports indicate this is where Neo gained certificates in detection and basic patrol courses in 2015. "Brock testified that he purchased the dog when it was 3 to 6 months old from a private owner in Southern California. He didn’t know the seller’s name, paid in cash, and didn’t ask for a receipt from the transaction," reports The Tribune.1

Exeter acquired Neo in September 2015 when it was 1.5 years old. By December it was dual-certified in narcotics detection and patrol work.

Since 2014, our nonprofit has been tracking severe maulings of "innocents" by police K-9s -- bystanders and unintended victims. The murky sources of these dogs often have a shared feature, described in vague terms like, an "Eastern Bloc import." However, what Brock describes is cloak-and-dagger-esque. The market is so lucrative for protection bred police and military dogs it's hardly surprising that private US-based middlemen have created a secondary, cheaper market.

Mismanaged Investigation

The last portion of The Tribune's report highlights how Geiger's defense used the the Grover Beach Police Department's questionable treatment of the investigation and missing evidence to help their client. Geiger was employed by this department when his "retired" K-9 attacked Fear and Long. Geiger remained on paid administrative leave until February 1 when he resigned, a step clearly prompted by the February 2 announcement of two felony charges filed against him.

Police vacated the investigation, dumping it into the hands of San Luis Obisco County Animal Services, then "stalled" in handing over evidence.

If one eliminates the troubling police "favors" in this case -- failure to collect and preserve certain evidence, turning off a body cam early, quickly euthanizing and cremating the dog without an examination first and more -- the criminal charges filed against Geiger, and his fulfillment of them, are straight forward in California. So let's revisit them. Geiger is charged with two counts of failing to maintain control of a dangerous animal and one felony count of involuntary manslaughter.

§ 399. Mischievous animal causing death or serious bodily injury; negligence of owner or person having custody or control; punishment

(a) If any person owning or having custody or control of a mischievous animal, knowing its propensities, willfully suffers it to go at large, or keeps it without ordinary care, and the animal, while so at large, or while not kept with ordinary care, kills any human being who has taken all the precautions that the circumstances permitted, or which a reasonable person would ordinarily take in the same situation, is guilty of a felony.

(b) If any person owning or having custody or control of a mischievous animal, knowing its propensities, willfully suffers it to go at large, or keeps it without ordinary care, and the animal, while so at large, or while not kept with ordinary care, causes serious bodily injury to any human being who has taken all the precautions that the circumstances permitted, or which a reasonable person would ordinarily take in the same situation, is guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony.

192(b) Involuntary Manslaughter

(b) Involuntary -- in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony; or in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death, in an unlawful manner, or without due caution and circumspection.

KSBY has some video coverage of day two of the preliminary hearing as does KCOY/KEYT.

07/18/17: Day One of Hearing
During the first day of the preliminary hearing for Alex Geiger, Betty Long took the stand along with two police K-9 trainers and Grover Beach police Sgt. Juan Leon, Geiger's supervisor and the first officer on the scene of the attack, reports the The Tribune. Geiger, who was also on duty, arrived at the scene a minute later, Leon said. He informed Leon that both dogs belonged to him. Despite the dogs being part of the crime scene, Leon allowed Geiger to take them to his home alone.

The protocol breaches get worse. The Tribune reports, "Leon said he did not collect or preserve several pieces of evidence, including his own bloody uniform, nor an air rifle and unspecified 'gardening tool' found in Fear’s driveway near the attack site. Blood samples from Geiger’s hands weren’t collected, either." Leon also testified that his in-car recording device was not functioning and that he turned off his body camera at some point when he began talking to the police chief.

Leon did not closely examine Geiger's 6-foot high wooden fence with broken boards at the base, nor did he look into Geiger's backyard before handing the investigation over to county animal services. Geiger kept both dogs in his fenced backyard, where he also has a tall 5-sided kennel, but he did not secure either dog inside of it that day. While he was a K-9 officer at Exeter, Geiger was trained to keep K-9s locked in a kennel unless under the direct supervision of their handler.

"The dogs continued to chew on Dave, and it was so bloody. I couldn’t do anything ... I thought I was going to die, and thought, this is it." - Betty Long

Finally, Geiger's defense raised the possibility this his attack-trained Belgian malinios mauled Betty Long and brutally killed David Fear -- after the dog chewed through Geiger's wooden fence -- because Fear may have wielded the air rifle or gardening tool as a weapon. Long said Fear tried to fight off the dogs, but there was "no way" Fear used a weapon. Conveniently, Sgt. Leon never collected or preserved these pieces of evidence, the same way he treated his own bloody uniform.

KSBY has some video coverage of day one of the preliminary hearing as does KCOY/KEYT.

07/18/17: Court Docket - People v. Geiger
Grover Beach, CA - The preliminary hearing of former Grover Beach police officer Alex Geiger resumes today in a San Luis Obispo County court. Geiger faces multiple felonies after his two dogs escaped his property on December 13 and mauled two residents, killing one. The primary culprit was an attack-trained police K-9 that Geiger kept as a "personal" pet. Geiger purchased the dog from the city of Exeter where he had worked just four months earlier as a police K-9 officer.

Prosecutors initially charged Geiger with two felonies for failing to maintain control of a dangerous animal in connection to the death of David Fear, 64, and serious bodily injury to Betty Long, 86. In June, prosecutors added a third felony charge against Geiger, involuntary manslaughter, which offers prosecutors more choices as the case moves into the preliminary hearing. Despite the new charge, Geiger still only faces a maximum sentence of about four years in prison if convicted.

Geiger is being charged because he had full knowledge that his police-trained K-9 was dangerous and he failed to properly contain the dog.

Leading up the preliminary hearing, The Tribune reports that on the day of the deadly attack, Geiger's dogs had escaped his property earlier and chased a mailman. The information came to light a week ago after Geiger's attorney, Visalia-based John Jackson, filed court documents seeking to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge. Jackson included in the filing reports from police and animal control officers who interviewed Geiger, Long, and other witnesses.

Geiger told Animal Services Director Eric Anderson that on the morning of December 13 his roommate told him that one of the boards in the fence had come loose. Geiger said he returned home and resecured it. At noon, the dogs menaced the mailman. At 1:15 pm, the dogs attacked Fear and Long.2 Geiger's next-door neighbor reported that his dogs "were a problem," and would go "crazy, jumping on the fence," and "seemed to go nuts" every time he went in his backyard.

On the day of the attack, the K-9 was not locked in Geiger's backyard secure kennel, as K-9 policy teaches, but loose in his fenced backyard.

Case Background

On December 13, Geiger's Belgian malinios, Neo, a dual-certified police K-9 in detection and patrol work (bite work), escaped his property and attacked Betty Long and her neighbor David Fear who intervened to save her life. Fear suffered life-threatening injuries, including two arteries in his arms being severed. He died three days later while hospitalized. Long suffered serious bite injuries and broken bones from falling. Long was released from a rehabilitation center in March.

In September, Geiger was hired by Grover Beach, which does not have a K-9 unit. For weeks after the attack the city would not release the officer's name or details about the dog's training. An expose by The Tribune, detailing Geiger's previous employment, showed his dog was a police-trained K-9 and that one month after Geiger began working for the city -- and a month before his dog attacked Fear and Long -- Geiger unsuccessfully lobbied for a K-9 program in Grover Beach.

Prior to joining the city of Grover Beach, Geiger had worked at the Exeter Police Department in Tulare County with the last year spent as a K-9 patrol officer with Neo. Six months before Geiger moved to Grover Beach -- taking the dog with him as a "pet" -- Neo had bitten a trainer during a "bite suite exercise." The K-9 was not taken out of service afterward. When Geiger purchased the dog from Exeter for $5,287 in August, he signed a waiver relieving Exeter of any future liability.

Review: Complete timeline of events | Review: Attack and complete case background

1How do you not know a seller's name? If no receipt, the purchase cannot be deducted from the business. Though it is a brief statement by Brock, it strongly suggests no pedigree or proof of lineage either. That's a hard to imagine for Belgian malinios (or German shepherds) slated for bite work and apprehension training.
2It appears Geiger's two dogs escaped more than once from his home on December 13. However, the mailman incident occurred about noon and the attack occurred just over an hour later at 1:15 pm. Whether Geiger's dogs were loose during the whole period should become clear after more testimony and evidence comes to light.

DogsBite blog ::

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Killed by Two Family Pit Bulls in Hart County, Georgia

Authorities Charge Grandmother with Multiple Felonies

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Family Dogs Attack and Kill 4-Year Old Boy in El Paso

Police Charge Boy's Parents with Felony Injury to a Child

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Fostoria Man Dies After Breaking Up Pit Bull Fight

Preliminary Hearing of Former Police Officer Whose 'Personal' Dual-Certified K-9 Killed a Man and Injured a Woman

Alex Geiger, 25, Faces Three Felonies After Vicious Mauling Death