San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

San Diego resident was attacked by her neighbor’s two pit bulls causing her to lose her left arm and leg.

The owners of the pit bulls are 39 year-old Alba Medina Cornelio and her daughter Carla Ramirez Cornelio who is 19. Judge Yvonne Campos ruled Friday after a two day preliminary hearing that the mother and daughter pair are to stand trial on multiple charges for the attack on their 75 year-old next-door neighbor by the pit bulls. The defendants charges include failing to protect the public from a dog and owning a dangerous dog, six misdemeanor code violations, and felony counts of having a mischievous animal that causes serious bodily injury. Both defendants have the possibility of serving more than three years each if convicted.

The violent incident occurred on June 18 where Emako Mendoza went outside to retrieve her morning paper. She was then attacked in her fenced-in yard where the pit bulls got through a opening in the fence. Mendoza suffered an amputation of her left arm below the elbow and left leg below the knee due to the attack. According to Prosecutor Makenzie Harvey, the defendants had knowledge that the dogs they owned were dangerous because of a previous attack by the two pit bulls where they escaped from the owners yard and attacked a man and his puppy. The man was bitten by the two dogs and the puppy suffered a broken jaw.

San Diego criminal defense attorney Donovan Dunnion claimed that the dogs had never harmed another human prior to the attack on Mendoza. Dunnion also argued that the pit bulls were running from a swarm of bees when they attacked the victim. However Harvey said there is no evidence that the pit bulls were stung by bees.

Mom, Daughter To Stand Trial In Pit Bull Attack, 10news.com, September 9, 2011

Women charged with felonies in dog mauling, fox5sandiego.com, June 30, 2011