Lubbock police arrested a 47-year-old man, charged with a second-degree felony count of "attack by dog" in connection to a deadly dog attack last month in East Lubbock.

Courtney White was arrested Friday afternoon, a few hours after Lubbock police investigators presented a case to the Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney's office and an arrest warrant was issued in connection to the Feb. 27 attack on 88-year-old Johnnie Garner at her home in the 1800 block of East Colgate Street, according to Lubbock police spokeswoman Tiffany Taylor.

Lubbock police officers and Lubbock Animal Services responded to Garner's home for reports of a serious dog attack the evening of Feb. 27. Garner was found lying in her back yard with life-threatening injuries. She was taken by EMS to a Lubbock hospital where she later died.

White, who police say was the owner of the six dogs involved in the attack, surrendered the dogs to animal services, where they were euthanized.



Lubbock's Metro Special Crimes Unit led the investigation of the attack.

White was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center Friday.

Following the attack, A-J Media reported that police said White told investigators he came home and found his dogs had gotten out of his yard.

He told police he went to the alley to try to locate his dogs when he heard Garner screaming for help and saw through the fence that his dogs were attacking her, according to a police report.

Steven Greene, director of Lubbock Animal Services, told the A-J that all of the dogs were impounded and taken to the animal shelter. The dogs, described as pit bull mixes, were euthanized at the owner’s request, Greene said.

The dogs’ remains were taken to a state lab to be tested for diseases, including rabies. Results of those tests are pending.

Lubbock’s code of ordinances prohibits residents in the city from keeping more than four adult dogs on their property.