In a tragic incident in Ohio, a 73-year-old woman was fatally attacked by her neighbor’s pit bulls, which were later discovered to have been under the influence of cocaine, as per a lawsuit. JoAnn Echelbarger was tending to her garden in her Ashton condominium’s shared spaces in October when the dogs, named Echo and Apollo, attacked her.
Echelbarger’s husband, Stanley, who suffers from dementia and is wheelchair-bound, could only watch in horror as his wife was brutally attacked for several minutes. The lawsuit alleges that one of the dogs continued the assault even after police officers fired shots in an attempt to halt the attack.
Echelbarger’s daughter, Earlene Romine, expressed her grief and shock at the horrific incident. “She did not deserve this. She was tortured, and she suffered,” Romine said. “This is not what you expect your parent to go through. This is not what you expect to happen to anyone you love.”
Post-incident investigations revealed that both dogs had tested positive for cocaine. Their owners, Adam Withers and his mother, Susan, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in relation to Echelbarger’s death last month, as per court records.
The victim’s son, Bill Rogers, expressed his anger towards the dog owners. “How do you not look at them as a villain responsible for killing your mom?” he questioned. The family has filed a lawsuit against the dog owners, the condominium association, and the county dog warden, accusing them of negligence and ignoring several warning signs about the dogs’ behavior.
The lawsuit also mentions an incident that occurred just weeks before the fatal attack, where police body camera footage showed officers responding to reports that Echo and Apollo had ingested Adam Withers’ cocaine. The lawsuit alleges that the dog warden was unresponsive to the situation.
Despite the Withers’ failure to comply with an order to remove the dogs from the condominium, the pit bulls were allowed to stay. The lawsuit also accuses Adam Withers of taunting building management through social media posts.
The family is seeking compensatory damages exceeding $25,000 and punitive damages through a wrongful death suit. “We are looking for justice,” said Rex Elliot, the family’s attorney, adding that local authorities “had a responsibility to take … those dogs out of there.”