Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Dog bites three, including deputy

A pit bullterrier was seized after attacking two roommates and a sheriff's deputy who arrived to investigate the screams. The dog's owner also was arrested.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published June 7, 2005

DUNEDIN - The caller reported screams about 5:30 a.m. Monday.

When Deputy Richard Trump pulled up, he found the front door ajar at 1045 Bass Blvd. Trump, 39, and his backup announced their arrival.

Then, through the doorway and down a hall, Trump saw a flash: Cocoa, a 30-pound pit bullterrier, was charging him.

"Deputy Trump didn't have time to react," said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jim Bordner. "It immediately attacked him."

The 2-year-old dog bit both of the deputy's legs before owner Jason W. Quinn pulled her off, Bordner said.

Quinn, 33, was later arrested on a charge of obstruction after trying to leave the scene, Bordner said. Quinn, who has previously been arrested eight times in Florida, remained in Pinellas County Jail.

The deputy, it turns out, was the third person Cocoa had attacked Monday, detectives said.

Earlier, inside the duplex, two of Quinn's roommates were arguing when Cocoa bit them, Bordner said. Both suffered puncture wounds that weren't life threatening. One was treated at a hospital; the other declined medical care.

It was unclear why Cocoa attacked them and investigators were unaware of previous problem s with the dog.

Pinellas County Animal Services seized Cocoa and her seven puppies, all of which were being quarantined for 10 days as standard procedure. After that, they can be reclaimed.

"They're all doing fine," said Linda Britland, a field manager for Animal Services.

Because of their reputation for violence, pit bulls have been barred from some cities around the country.

Last year in Orient Park, east of Tampa, an 8-year-old boy was mauled to death by two mixed-breed pit bullterriers, according to officials. The dogs, kept temporarily in the boy's back yard, were later euthanized.

Trump works the midnight shift and could not be reached for comment Monday.

[Last modified June 7, 2005, 02:15:48]