Pit bull owners charged after dog, already considered dangerous by Pa., attacks person

A York man and woman are facing charges after they allegedly failed to prevent their pit bull, Xena — already determined to be a dangerous dog — from getting loose and attacking a person last month, according to charging documents.

Lynn Ann Boots, 41, and Charles Monroe Dixon, 37, both of the 100 block of East Springettsbury Avenue, face two sets of charges filed by the Pennsylvania State Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.

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Charges were filed Friday at District Judge Ronald J. Haskell Jr.'s office and, as of Tuesday morning, an arraignment had not been scheduled for Dixon and Boots, according to the office.

The first set of charges for Boots and Dixon state that the two did not pay a $500 annual fee for registration of a dangerous dog. The two were convicted of harboring a dangerous dog on Nov. 6. 2013, for their pit bull, Ivy, by District Judge Richard E. Martin. The decision was upheld in county court on April 23, 2014, documents state.

In the second set of charges, Xena was determined to be a dangerous dog on Sept. 5, 2017, by Haskell. On April 18, Boots and Dixon failed to prevent Xena from leaving their home with a responsible person, leash and muzzle when the dog "escaped from the yard and aggressively attacked a person, causing severe injury," documents state.

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The documents do not specify why Ivy and Xena were determined to be dangerous.

No further details on the April 18 attack were provided in the documents. Neither Boots not Dixon could be reached for comment.

A check of the state's dangerous dog registry lists Ivy and Xena as dangerous dogs and Boots as their owner. There are a total of 27 dangerous dogs in York County, according to the registry.

More: Dangerous dogs cost owners thousands in Pa.

Dogs are determined to be dangerous by either inflicting severe injury on a human being without provocation on public or private property; killing or inflicting severe injury on a domestic animal, dog or cat without provocation while off the owner’s property; attacking a human being without provocation; or having been used in the commission of a crime, Pennsylvania's agriculture website states.

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In addition, the dog must have either or both a history or propensity of attacking human beings and/or domestic animals, dogs or cats without provocation, according to the state agriculture website.

There are several responsibilities of the owner of a dangerous dog, including registering the dog and confining it to a proper enclosure.

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Contact Ted Czech at 717-771-2033.