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Pit bull owner may not face prosecution
By JANEL STEPHENS TAMPA -- Two pit bullterriers dug under a fence Sunday and attacked a 69-year-old neighbor and his dog before turning on police and animal control officers. After a tranquilizer dart failed to stop one of the pit bullterriers, police officers shot and killed the 50-pound dog. The other pit bull was captured. The neighbor, Aaron Berger, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with bites to both arms. His dog was killed in the attack, officials said. Investigators said the pit bulls belonged to Pete Palori, 21, of 7014 S Fitzgerald St. About 9 a.m. Sunday, investigators said, the dogs, Machaucha, a brown and white female, and Vinu, a black male, dug a hole under the fence and crawled into Berger's back yard. Vinu attacked Berger's dog, mauling it to death, police said. When Berger tried to save his pet, Machaucha bit Berger several times. Animal Services tried to capture the pit bulls, but Vinu got away, officials said. The dog attacked animal services and police officers, biting a police officer. Police used reverse 911 to warn nearby residents to stay inside. Animal control officers fired a tranquilizer and hit Vinu, but that didn't slow the 50-pound dog, said Jim Dickey, field manager for Hillsborough County Animal Services. Police shot the dog six times when it tried to jump a fence. Machaucha was taken to Animal Services. Pending further investigation, Machaucha might be euthanized or declared a dangerous dog, Dickey said. Palori has been previously cited for having vicious and at-large dogs, Dickey said. But the reluctance of neighbors and victims to cooperate has made it difficult for the agency to file charges, Dickey said. Previous charges have been dropped when a witness failed to appear in court. Dickey said it may be difficult to file charges against Palori in the latest incident without Berger's help. "His initial request is that he doesn't want to press charges," Dickey said Monday. If animal control officers don't see the attack occur, they cannot press charges against the dog's owner, they can only administer citations, he said. Palori could not be reached for comment Monday. He had been previously cited when his dog escaped and killed another neighbor's dog, police said. No details about that attack were available Monday. T.R. Smith, a neighbor on S Fitzgerald St., said he is pleased the two pit bulls are gone. "They've always been mean," said Smith, who walks his 8-year-old terrier every morning. Although it's unclear whether criminal charges will be filed, investigators said, Palori will likely have to appear in civil court to answer charges that he did not properly license or vaccinate his pets, which were allowed to roam at-large. Those citations could end up costing Palori $1,520.
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