UPDATE: 3 OF 4 PIT BULLS IN POSESSION OF POLICE
Freeman Chief of Police Scott Brewer told The Courier Thursday afternoon, June 16 that three of the four pit bulls who attacked a 55-year-old Freeman woman on Monday morning have been picked up and are in possession of the Freeman Police Department.
The dogs were located in Yankton on an anonymous tip and will be in the possession of law enforcement until at least June 27, when the dog’s owner, 34-year-old Dawson Schild, makes his initial court appearance. Brewer said Schild has been served his warrant papers on local charges that include four counts of keeping and maintaining vicious animals, four counts of dogs running at large and a charge of disturbing the peace.
He is out on bond, Brewer says.
Schild has also been charged by the state for negligently causing bodily harm using a weapon — in this case the dogs — and the obstruction charge was for refusing to hand over the dogs when asked to do so.
“That’s not going to happen,” Schild told Freeman Police Officer Jay Slevin the morning of the attack, according to the police report.
The incident began at 6:25 a.m. Monday morning when Slevin was contacted by a resident at 412 S. Walnut Street who said he had a group of aggressive dogs in his yard. Ten minutes later, as Slevin was making his way to the property, he heard an emergency broadcast over the radio about an active dog attack at 224 S. Wipf Street, the address of the Freeman Community Center.
Upon arrival, the victim was already at Freeman Medical Center for treatment, but Slevin saw a group of individuals on the east side of Wipf Street flagging him down, according to the police report. The individuals pointed in the direction of the Schild residence and Slevin approached the house, which is when Schild refused to turn over the dogs, which were inside the home.
“In the amount of time I’m sitting there waiting on backup, he sneaks (the dogs) out the back into a car and they take off,” Slevin told the Courier.
The attack
According to the police report, the victim was walking by the Freeman Community Center when she was attacked from behind by all four animals at once. The attack continued as she attempted to run away south toward Fourth Street.
Barron NanKivel, who lives one block north of the community center, said he came upon the incident with his vehicle and drove toward the animals sounding his horn, which brought an end to the attack. Another witness was Brian Skinner, who heard screaming and observed the attack from his porch at 520 E. 2nd Street (about a block northwest of the community center), according to the police report.
The medical report obtained by police indicates the victim was subjected to 63 injuries and bitten 17 times. She was treated locally and released from the hospital Tuesday.
Assisting Slevin in the response was Hutchinson County Deputy Maurice Waltner.
Local law enforcement is assuring the public at large that this situation has their closest attention and they are working hard to resolve the issue in a timely fashion.
“We will get this taken care of,” said Freeman Police Chief Scott Brewer.”
