Youngstown woman files dog-bite suit against Mahoning County

YOUNGSTOWN — A West Midlothian Boulevard woman has sued Mahoning County, saying her 9-year-old son was painfully bitten and permanently injured by a dog negligently let loose while he worked as a volunteer animal caregiver at the county dog pound.

Mary Ann Byrns filed the suit this week in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on behalf of her son, Phillip J. Byrns, saying he was bitten on his leg and elsewhere Sept. 15, 2010, by a dog with “a known propensity to bite.”

The suit, which demands a jury trial and more than $25,000 in damages, is assigned to Judge R. Scott Krichbaum.

County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains, who defends county officials, declined to comment on the lawsuit.