The dogs belonging to a resident of western Jasper County have been ruled “vicious,” and he now must go to district court if he wants to get them back and prevent them from being euthanized.
The Animal Control and Welfare Board for Jasper County held a special hearing Thursday night at the Jasper County Courthouse to help determine if Dave Woody would keep four dogs that were involved in an Aug. 6 incident. His dogs, all pitbulls, which have been held in quarantine since the incident, were deemed vicious at Thursday's hearing.
County ordinance No. JC-44A states citizens cannot own vicious animals. County Attorney Mike Jacobsen said the animal control board’s work is done, and Woody’s only recourse would be to appeal to a district court judge to reverse the decision.
“He will be served a copy of order (Friday),” Jacobsen said. “He can then appeal to district court.”
Members of the board are appointed by the Jasper County Board of Supervisors. Jim Horsman, Dean Lane and JCARL Director Sarah Siperstein were all recently announced at supervisors meetings as new appointees to the board.
According to a Jasper County Sheriff’s Office report, deputies and emergency medical services responded to an Aug. 6 call for medical assistance for a man injured by dogs. While responding to this call, the sheriff’s dispatch center received an additional call of a woman who had suffered injuries from dogs.
The preliminary investigation revealed the woman was walking several dogs in the residential area along Fame Avenue. Several dogs from another residence, according to the sheriff's office, were running at large and attacked her dogs.
Woody was the owner of these dogs. He attempted to intervene, and they were both injured as they tried separate the dogs.
Another local resident heard the incident and helped get the woman to safety.
The adults both suffered dog bites and other injuries which were described as serious. All three patients were transported to Des Moines-area hospitals for treatment. The woman’s identity has not been disclosed by the sheriff; Woody’s identity became known to the Newton Daily News through social media.
One of Woody’s sons suffered minor injuries from attempting to restrain the dogs. The injuries were not bites.
One of the woman’s dogs died during the incident as a result of injuries from other dogs. Her other dog was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
The initial Sheriff's news release says two dogs died as a result of the attack.
All four of Woody’s dogs were taken into custody for quarantine by the Jasper County Animal Rescue League, and he has not seen them since then. The sheriff’s office has not announced any charges at the time, as the investigation was ongoing.
The incident led to injuries to Woody that include more than a dozen puncture wounds and a severe injury to an index finger, which he said he’s been told might still need to be amputated. The extent of the woman’s injuries isn’t known.
Woody said he was surprised when the Newton Daily News contacted him Friday morning to ask if he planned to appeal in district court, saying it was his understanding the board planned to deliberate. He said he’ll need to consult with attorneys before deciding if he’ll appeal the decision.
Woody, who lives in a rural residential area northwest of Valeria, in rural western Jasper County, said he was helping unload a vehicle after a camping trip when the late-morning weekend incident occurred.
He said he believes he saw a citation in the paperwork given to him by Sheriff John Halferty after Thursday’s hearing, but he handed that over to his attorney.
Halferty, who was one of the responders on scene at the site of the incident, said it was "very chaotic." He said he expects Jacobsen to study county ordinances to see if any changes to procedure might need to be proposed.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com