JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — Two dog attack victims are now suing.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, they claim animal control ignored red flags tied to their neighbor’s vicious dogs.
Some of those animals ended up attacking, leaving them with serious injuries.
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The dog owner is in the middle of a six-month jail sentence for a criminal conviction tied to this attack.
The lawyer for the two victims wants a trial in connection with their civil lawsuit in this case at the courthouse right next door.
News Center 7 has followed Dawn Kilbarger’s story since a dog attack left her hospitalized with more than 700 stitches, most of which were to her face.
>>RELATED: Woman gets more than 700 stitches after dog attack
“You can’t even walk out your house because you don’t know what dog’s coming for you,” Kilbarger previously told News Center 7.
Three of her neighbor’s Cane Corso dogs attacked her in August, right after they went after her neighbor, Rick.
“That was the first time in my life where I said, ‘You’re going to be dead in a couple of seconds,’” Rick Shroeppel said.
Craig Matthews is the lawyer now representing both victims.
“What happened here was just a horrific attack by dogs,” Craig Matthews, of Craig T. Matthews and Associates, said.
Just this week, Matthews filed this civil lawsuit in connection with the attack.
It names the dogs’ owner, Desmond Payne, his landlord at the time, Montgomery County, and its animal control agency as defendants.
In the lawsuit, Matthews writes, “Prior to the attack, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and/or the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center received at least fifteen reports concerning these dogs,” including, he said, reports that the dogs were running loose and creating a safety risk on Dawn and Rick’s block.
“The neighbors, they knew it was just a matter of time, something was going to happen, that’s why they were calling, and really nothing was done,” Matthews said.
Matthews told News Center 7’s John Bedell that the Animal Resource Center is the “primary defendant.”
“Animal control, their purpose is to protect the public, and the ball was dropped here to terrible, catastrophic effect. I mean, my people will never be the same,” Matthews said.
News Center 7’s John Bedell couldn’t reach the former landlord for comment.
After reaching out to Montgomery County, they sent back a statement from County Administrator Michael Colbert, which said:
“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families as they navigate this difficult time. Because this matter involves pending litigation, we are not able to comment further.”
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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