Dog Bite Case, Defendant Pleads Not Guilty
Rebecca McGroerty was babysitting a four year old little girl when the dog she was watching bit the girl. Rebecca allegedly failed to muzzle the dog.
The doge walker, Rebecca McGroerty has pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to the child endangerment charges she faces after the dog that was in her care at the time, allegedly bit a four year old little girl.
Sgt. Jay Moroso of the Santa Monica Police Department says that on October 19, 2013 police responded to a report of a dog bite. They were called to the 2300 block of 23rd Street in Santa Monica.
Stg. Moroso says that the detectives learned that Rebecca McGroerty (the dog walker) was given instructions from the dog owner of the 10 year old Staffordshire Terrier to keep the dog muzzled and on a leash while it was outside of the home.
Sgt. Moroso also reported that Rebbeca’s employers told her that she was not to have anyone other than other employees or residents in the home that the dog would be at because the animal was afraid of children and would be aggressive towards children.
The little girl was not a resident of the home. The dog also was not on a least nor wearing a muzzle at the time of the attack, Sgt. Moroso explained. He went on to say that the four year old little girl was treated with stitches in her injured leg.
Sgt. Moroso said that the dog was then impounded by the Santa Monica Animal Control Unit, for a ten day quarantine. The dog would then be released to it’s owner, with the muzzle and leash restrictions. However, the owners have already been using those restrictions.
The next hearing for Rebecca will be in the new year on January 8, 2014.
Daniel A. Gibalevich
DAG Law Firm
