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Attack last week makes six for Vienna dogs
Vindicator reporter, mother were bitten by pair last year
HUBBARD
Hubbard Police Report on Dog Attack
Document
The most recent incident occurred Jan. 21, when the two dogs owned by a Vienna couple attacked a worker at Hubbard Pet Resort, according to police reports.
Two of the dogs that were the focus of a Vindicator story Sunday about the need for better Ohio laws have attacked six people in seven months.
The most recent incident occurred Jan. 21, when the two dogs owned by a Vienna Township couple mauled Veronica Williams, who was working at Hubbard Pet Resort in Hubbard Township, according to police reports.
Zeke, a 50-pound pit bull, and Lexi, a 45-pound pit bull/boxer mix, are owned by Samantha and Joseph Sirna, the report said.
Williams told police that when she let the dogs out at 7:40 a.m. last Monday, Zeke jumped and bit chunks of flesh from her left cheek and upper right arm. Zeke also bit her elbow and left forearm.
While Zeke attacked Williams, Lexi bit and punctured both of her thighs and shins, the report said.
Photos of the injuries in the police report corroborate the account of the attack.
Williams’ co-worker heard her screams and tried to get the dogs outside, Williams said. The co-worker also suffered a bite on her thigh, she said.
“The attack on me will stay with me forever. It just replays in my head every day,” Williams said. “Just seeing a huge pit bull jump up and grab your face is horrifying. It also took a chunk out of my right arm, so bad that the hospital could not stitch it up.”
The incident follows a 24-hour period in June in which the dogs attacked four people.
On June 22, Zeke attacked a boy riding his bike on Walls Lake Drive, according to a police report. The victim told police that Zeke “came out of nowhere” and bit his backside, leaving four puncture marks.
The officer then went to the Sirnas’ home. When Joseph Sirna opened the door, Zeke charged at the officer and bit his boot and pant leg. Sirna made no attempt to stop the dog until the officer drew his service pistol, the report read.
On June 23, the dogs attacked Vindicator reporter Samantha Phillips and her mother in their backyard. Phillips wrote about her ordeal this past Sunday, unaware of the most recent incident.
Phillips described how Zeke and Lexi broke their run line and jumped on her, biting her arms and pulling her down. The dogs also bit her mother’s left forearm and right side as she tried to get the dogs away from her daughter.
A friend of Williams’ recognized Phillips’ name in a police report and the Vindicator article, and reached out late Sunday with details of the most recent attack.
Vienna police cited the Sirnas for letting their dogs loose in that case, resulting in a $150 fine.
After the incident last week, the Trumbull County Dog Warden’s office has started working with the Girard prosecutor to more effectively remedy the situation.
“We don’t want these dogs in the neighborhood anymore,” said Michelle Goss, Trumbull County executive dog warden.
If the owners are convicted of a crime, the court could order the dogs to be humanely destroyed, Goss said.
Under a bill proposed by state Rep. Glenn Holmes of Girard, D-63rd, and Rep. Niraj Antani of Miamisburg, R-42nd, legal recourse would be much easier.
The bill, which has been introduced, would levy a fifth-degree felony charge against owners of dogs that kill or cause serious injuries to a person. It also grants dog wardens the power to arrest owners after a serious attack and increases the amount of years a felon must wait to own a dog from three to five years.
The bill also gives courts options to take if a dog causes serious injury, such as a permanent disfigurement, or death. One would be ordering a dog that’s deemed dangerous or vicious to be euthanized.
The Jan. 21 attack “is the very reason why we would like to escalate the penalty for dog owners that don’t take responsibility for their pets,” said Holmes.