File photo A bill introduced this week in honor of Haiden Prevatte, pictured, who was attacked by a pair of dogs in January, would increase penalties on the owners of dogs that commit such acts. -

ROCKINGHAM — Senator Tom McInnis this week introduced a bill that would put in place harsher penalties for owners of dogs that injure another person and would empower law enforcement officers to determine whether a dog is a “dangerous dog”.

Senate Bill 482, entitled Haiden’s Law in honor of Haiden Prevatte, the young girl who was attacked by a pair of dogs as she got off the school bus in January, would amend N.C. General Statute 67-4.1 regarding dangerous dogs to give any law enforcement officer the ability to determine whether a dog is dangerous, not just Animal Control or someone else given that authority by the city.

The bill would also amend N.C. G.S. 67-4.3 to remove the condition that treatment of the injuries caused by the attack must be more than $100 to warrant a criminal charge. Instead, the owner of a dog that injures a person, their property or both in any way would be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

If a dog were to kill a person, the owner would be guilty of a Class 1 felony if the amendments were adopted.

Haiden was left with 21 puncture wounds — one of which punctured her right lung — two broken ribs and three gashes in her head, which required staples, over 20 stitches and a chest tube to help her breath following the attack. She returned to school after two weeks and is in counseling to deal with night terrors and other lingering effects of the attack.

“This law will not bring relief to Haiden or others who have already been seriously injured or killed by vicious animals not properly maintained, but hopefully it will bring about a greater sense of responsibility by owners and help to prevent such devastating incidences from happening in the future,” McInnis said in a statement.

In an interview Friday, McInnis expressed frustration with the state’s laws governing dangerous dogs which gave little recourse the to Prevatte family.

“If an owner fails to keep their dogs in a safe place, it’s not the dog’s fault it’s the owner’s fault,” he said.

The owner of the dogs that attacked Haiden, Mary Wilson, was given three citations under the Richmond County Animal Enforcement Ordinance following the attack: two for leaving the dogs “at large” off of her property and without the control of a competent person and one for failing to have one of the dogs vaccinated for rabies.

A potentially dangerous dog is defined as “any dog, when not on the owner’s real property, that has killed or inflicted severe injury upon a domestic animal … any dog, when not on the owner’s real property, that has approached a person in a vicious or terrorizing manner in an apparent attitude of attack … any dog that has been deemed potentially dangerous in another county or state.”

If the animal is determined to be dangerous, the owner will have up to three weeks to construct a secure dog lot and have it approved by the Richmond County sheriff or his designee. The dangerous animal will only be released to the owner when the owner has complied with the requirements of securing them.

If the owner fails to comply with these requirements within 30 days, the animal will be killed unless the owner files an appeal, according to Section 15(E)(iv) of the county ordnance.

Candas Prevatte, Haiden’s mother, said she gave McInnis permission to name the bill after her daughter. The bill was filed Tuesday and will soon be assigned to a committee where it will then potentially be moved to a vote by the House.

“I just feel like if there was a law people will keep there vicious animals put away so hopefully it want happen again to someone else or another child,” Prevatte said.

File photo A bill introduced this week in honor of Haiden Prevatte, pictured, who was attacked by a pair of dogs in January, would increase penalties on the owners of dogs that commit such acts. https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Haiden-1-.jpg File photo A bill introduced this week in honor of Haiden Prevatte, pictured, who was attacked by a pair of dogs in January, would increase penalties on the owners of dogs that commit such acts.

Gavin Stone Editor

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or [email protected]

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or [email protected]