LICKING COUNTY, Ohio — Nov. 5, 2024, is a day that Chuck Williams will never forget.
On that day, Williams let his dog out when he heard it being attacked by two pit bulls. He stepped in to save his dog, but he ended up getting attacked himself.
“I managed to get myself up on the stop sign and pull myself up because they had me down. Luckily [Abby] heard me and I think she probably saved me,” said Williams. “I was screaming and yelling for anybody.”
“I walked outside to let my three dogs out and I heard a loud screeching noise and I was like, “Oh it’s probably just a coyote. Then I heard, ‘Help me!’” explained Williams’ neighbor, Abby Hughey.
The two pit bulls then went after Hughey, but not before seriously injuring Williams.
“They were jumping all over me. I have a bunch of bites all over my leg. Not so much this leg, some of them on my face, my chest was bit up pretty good,” Williams said.
They called 9-1-1 and the Licking County dog warden showed up. The owner also came to get the dogs.
“I know he got scratched and stuff like that, but nothing too crazy. I have had dogs for my whole life and that’s the only incident, so that’s a pretty good rate,” said Dy’Jon Bowers-Stoneking, the owner of the pit bulls.
According to court records, Bowers-Stoneking has been charged in six incidents in the past five years for not confining or registering his dogs, a misdemeanor — including in this case.
10TV asked the Licking County dog warden why more serious charges weren’t filed. He said he couldn’t comment on this specific case.
In general, he said they have to give a dog back to its owner because it is considered property. He says an owner can be charged dozens of times and the dog won’t be taken away.
“They can get charged as many times as a judge allows. It ends up being a judge’s call, not our call,” said Larry Williams, chief dog warden in Licking County.
He says in light of the serious animal attacks, the laws need to change.
“It does need to be changed to be made safer for the public,” the dog warden said.
Chuck Williams has a stack of medical bills adding up to $75,000 from the attack.
Hughey says she can’t help but think what would have happened if a child had been there at the time.
“I saw a mom and her baby walking down the road and it was an infant. She had an infant carrier on her and she was walking her dog. I looked at my husband and I said, ‘She would not have survived that. Her baby would not have survived that,’” she said.
The owner of the dogs is scheduled to be in court next week. He told 10TV he gave the dogs to a friend out of state.
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