Charges have been filed against a Bridgman dad who allegedly lied to police after his 3-year-old son was bitten by a dog.

The dog's owner has also been charged.

Elex Dubar, 24, was charged with filing a false police report.

The investigation revealed that Dubar

After officers identified the actual dog that bit the child, it was found to be properly licensed and up-to-date on shots.

That dog was quarantined, and the owner, 55-year-old Douglas Essig, has been charged with having a dangerous animal causing serious injury, plus conspiracy to falsely report a misdemeanor.

“I’ve seen false reports made before. I took exception to this one because we were out searching for a ghost dog and handler for several days until we got information that pointed to Mr. Essig and the child’s father,” Bridgman Police Chief Daniel Unruh said. “The reason they gave us is they were afraid the dog would be put down or euthanized. We told them that’s not always the case.”

Dubar faces a court appearance Tuesday. We'll post updates as we learn more.