COLUMBUS — A 6-month-old baby was attacked and killed by the family dog, and now his parents are facing charges.
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Last April, 911 dispatchers received a call from a home on Miami Street in Marion, Ohio. The caller was begging for help after a family’s pit bull attacked an infant, our news partners WBNS-10 TV reported.
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“It’s a tragedy. It’s horrible,” Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said.
After a year-long investigation, the 6-month-old’s parents were indicted last week, WBNS-10 TV reported.
Blake Bates and Alyssa Smith were charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, and reckless homicide.
“My focus needs to be on that 6-month-old child, and we need to make sure that we are setting a standard for everybody to understand that you have to take care when you have animals that demonstrate an aggressive behavior,” Grogan said.
According to Grogan, there was an incident a year before the deadly attack where the same pit bull attacked a neighbor’s child.
“Given that corrective action wasn’t taken, [that has] led us ultimately to being here today,” he said.
The dog was euthanized the day after the fatal attack, WBNS-10 TV reported.
“When you have a dog in any instance that demonstrates aggressive behavior towards a human being, you have to take steps to either one put that dog down or ensure that the dog isn’t going to have access to do real harm to somebody, particularly a child,” Grogan said. “When you don’t do that, there are consequences for that.”
Smith is being held on a $50,000 bond and Bates is being held on a $150,000 bond.
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