Warren man, 60, pleads innocent in pit-bull attack city

Warren man, 60, pleads innocent in pit-bull attack city

Staff report

WARREN

Major C. Beckwith, 60, of Warren pleaded innocent to felonious assault Thursday, accused of ordering his pit bull dog to attack a 46-year-old Scott Street man.

The victim suffered a severed artery in his arm and injuries to his face.

If convicted of the crime, Beckwith could get up to eight years in prison.

Police said Lonnie R. Culver of Scott Street Northeast was “bleeding heavily from his arms and face” when they arrived at his house at 3:25 p.m. Wednesday.

Culver was being treated in the intensive care unit at ValleyCare Trumbull Memorial Hospital on Thursday.

Culver told police the attack followed a dispute over $10 Culver owed Beckwith for work Beckwith did earlier in the day.

When police found Beckwith and his dog on nearby Porter Street Northeast, the dog had blood on his head and shoulder area. Beckwith, of Oak Knoll Avenue Southeast, also had blood on his clothing, a police report said.

The dog, which did not have up-to-date shots, was taken to the Trumbull County Dog Kennel for quarantine, and Beckwith was taken to the Trumbull County jail.

Culver’s worst injuries were to his left arm, which suffered a severed artery, which eliminated circulation to the lower portion of Culver’s hand, police said.

Beckwith remained in jail Thursday in lieu of $10,000 bond. He returns to Warren Municipal Court at 2 p.m. Sept. 12.

Warren police cited Beckwith in May for failing to carry vicious-dog insurance, a misdemeanor.