Dog Bite Law Blog

Dog Owners Charged With Felony For Fatal Attack

Details: Created on Saturday, 20 September 2008 16:32

Jeffrey King, Jr. and John Peterson of Yermo, California, both 23, have been charged with failing to maintain mischievous animals that cause death, a felony. (Click here to read the article.)

On December 25, 2007, in Yermo, 45-year-old Kelly Caldwell was killed by up to five dogs. The dogs were running at large on the street where the victim was walking. The dogs were pit bulls and belonged to King, Jr. and Peterson.

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel were charged with this same felony after their dogs killed Diane Whipple in 2001. However, prosecutors also sought and obtained convictions for involuntary manslaughter (against both defendants) and second degree murder (against Knoller only).

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