Dog’s caretaker to spend 2 months in jail

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The boy’s family is happy with the court’s decision.

YOUNGSTOWN — The caretaker of a large pit bull terrier that attacked a 10-year-old boy will spend the next two months in Mahoning County jail and three years on probation.

Dustin Anglin, 23, of South Heights Avenue, appeared for sentencing Wednesday before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on a misdemeanor charge of failure to confine a dangerous dog.

He originally had been charged with the felony charge of failure to confine a vicious dog, but he pleaded guilty to the reduced charge in an agreement with the state.

J. Michael Thompson, an assistant county prosecutor, said the plea agreement was reached because there may have been issues in proving the dog’s vicious nature. He told the court that the state would recommend a sentence of probation if Anglin agreed to make restitution to the boy’s family.

Judge Krichbaum, however, did not completely follow the prosecutor’s recommendation.

He did order Anglin to make restitution to the family, but the judge also sentenced Anglin to jail and probation upon his release. He said the South Side man had a responsibility to keep the dog confined.

“This is a tough call for me,” the judge said. “I have had dogs all my life. You get to know your dog, trust your dog, but we all know of situations where dogs do what dogs do. This is why we have to be careful.”

Judge Krichbaum also pointed to the initial police report where Anglin is said to have denied owning the dog or having it in the house until officers obtained a search warrant and retrieved the animal. He said Anglin’s lack of help to police and denial were inexcusable.

Alitha Waller, grandmother of the 10-year-old victim, said she is happy with the 60-day sentence but also is upset that Anglin denied owning the dog, did not offer her grandson any help after he was attacked and has not inquired about the child’s well-being since the incident.

Waller said the sentence is justified considering what the family has endured. The boy has undergone therapy and will have permanent scars on his legs from the dog attack.

“He has had sleepless nights because of this, and I have had sleepless nights,” she said.

Anglin, who was represented by Atty. James Melone, did apologize to the boy and his family. He explained that the dog actually belonged to a relative. He said he was keeping the dog as a favor and did not think it would harm anyone.

“I take responsibility for what happened, and I just want to do what I can to make it right,” Anglin said before sentencing.

The boy was walking to school in September with his younger sister when a large brown-and-white pit bull and a smaller dog ran out as the children approached South Heights Avenue and Sheridan Road on the South Side.

The large dog immediately went after the boy, biting him on the leg and then running to Anglin’s small house nearest to the corner.

The girl jumped into the car of a woman sitting nearby.

Firefighters Chris Brown and Bill Palma, at a nearby fire station on Midlothian Boulevard, noticed the commotion and ran over to offer treatment to the bleeding boy.

Neighbors watched Anglin put the dog back into his home before getting in his car and leaving the residence, police said.

jgoodwin@vindy.com