Prosecutors don't plan to file charges after a woman was attacked by a pack of dogs earlier this month in eastern Arkansas.
The attack highlights what authorities call a “multifaceted problem” faced by residents and officials in rural St. Francis County and in other rural Arkansas communities.
The victim, 27-year-old Tiffany Stevenson was attacked on March 8 by several dogs while walking home near the 800 block of St. Francis County Road 323 at about 12:30 p.m., according to a report by the St. Francis County sheriff’s office.
Stevenson, who has lived in the area her whole life, said on Tuesday that the first dog came up behind her and knocked her to the ground, and others followed soon after, biting and dragging her through people’s yards. The dogs were driven off by a passing motorist who honked her horn and screamed at them.
Deputies responded and found Stevenson lying in a nearby driveway with numerous bloody gashes across her body, the report states.
Stevenson was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. She said she received at least seven stitches in her face and more in her arms and legs.
“As of right now, I’m just trying to focus on getting myself healed up,” she said.
Capt. Eddie Adamson, assistant chief deputy for the sheriff’s office, said Stevenson was able to identify two of the dogs, and that the owner was identified. The two dogs tested negative for rabies, but the owner told authorities the dogs would be euthanized, according to Adamson.
Stevenson was unable to identify the other dogs who attacked her, Adamson said, noting it's possible they are still in the area.
In order for someone to be held criminally liable for a dog’s violent behavior, there must be proof the owner knew or had reason to know the dog had a “propensity to cause injury” to others, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Austin Easley wrote in a statement.
“Based upon the information presented to our office, there is not sufficient evidence to prove the owners of the subject dogs knew or had reason to know these dogs were dangerous,” he wrote.
Dog maulings occur infrequently in the county. Adamson estimated his sheriff’s office receives about four bite reports on average each year, though none have been as severe as that of March 8. The absence of leash laws, animal shelters, animal control officials or a humane society, however, complicates dealing with such attacks when they do happen, he said.
“If there was an animal shelter or animal control officers, if a bite occurs, we could call them,” he said.
When deputies are able to trace a dog back to its owner, authorities can issue a vicious dog citation and require that owner to keep the dog locked away for at least 10 days — long enough, Adamson said, to determine whether the animal has any dangerous diseases.
The dog is only required to be in an enclosed space, such as behind a fence, and does not have to be boarded or kenneled, he said.
Often, though, loose dogs in the county can’t be traced back to any owners.
According to authorities, people who don’t want their dogs frequently dump them in the St. Francis Lake area, near where the woman was attacked. Adamson said animals have been abandoned there for at least 40 years.
“Out there in that rural area, for some reason it’s just been a dumping ground,” he said. “I remember when I was a kid seeing little puppies running around and getting told that somebody just came up and dropped them off.”
When dog attacks occur, authorities who are unable to identify an owner are left without anyone to arrest or charge. Without a system or ordinances in place to respond to dogs roaming loose in the county, there is little the sheriff’s office can do to control the canine population, Adamson said.
“It’s not that we’re not doing anything,” Adamson said. “It’s that we’re only able to do what we can do.”
According to Arkansas law, the confinement and observation expense of any animal that has no owner is borne by the person bitten or, if that person is a minor, by the “head of the family.” Adamson said, though, an animal attack victim will not be penalized if they decline to do so.
When asked about other solutions for dealing with loose dogs in the county, Adamson said people can talk to the county judge about establishing an ordinance that requires dogs to be vaccinated or better contained. However, he said the county doesn’t currently have the funds to open an animal shelter or hire animal control officers.
St. Francis County Judge Gary Hughes declined to comment on the attack, but he said county officials are open to expanding their ordinances. He said he doesn’t know what sort of ordinance the quorum court might ultimately attempt to implement and said he wouldn’t hypothesize about any measures the court will take.
“I just don’t want to begin to suggest what we’re going to do for animal control in the county,” Hughes said. “But hopefully there’s something we can do.”
Stevenson, too, said she hopes something can be done to better protect residents. In the meantime, she encourages people who are walking to do so safely.
“Anytime anybody’s going out walking anywhere make sure you carry something for protection,” she said. “Dog [spray], a stick, something. Just make something to make sure you always have some kind of protection because maybe if I had a stick or something it could have been a little bit different.”
Adamson said that the only option he sees to preventing attacks is for owners to keep their animals put up, and that people who see groups of dogs out should consider taking a different route.
However, Adamson said he was skeptical that doing so would completely prevent similar attacks from happening again.
“As long as there are stray dogs that are running in packs, situations like this can happen. It’s an unfortunate situation, but do I anticipate this happening somewhere else? Absolutely.”