BY MARGARET DAMGHANI
Tuesday night, several members of the Vandora Pines neighborhood in Garner attended the Town Council meeting to voice their concerns about dangerous dog permits for two pit bulls, stemming from the April 17 attack on a local mother and her child. The widely publicized attack resulted in the death of eight-year-old Jayden Henderson, and serious injuries to her mother Heather Trevaskis.
“Ultimately the decision on the permit will rest with the Garner Police Department and the Garner Police Chief. The review process for these permits has not been completed at this time,” said Town Attorney Terri Jones. There is no deadline for reviewing it, and the Garner Police are gathering information and verifying the information that has been provided.
Should the permit be approved, the dogs would return to the owners if they fulfill several requirements. Aggrieved parties, either for approval or denial, may submit an administrative appeal to the town’s appeal board, or a judge could file a temporary restraining order or temporary injunction, Jones said.
“The neighborhood is very, very concerned. There are a few things they want to make sure you as a board are aware of. The dog has killed one of our jewels, Jayden. Jayden played with many of the children that currently reside in the neighborhood. This will forever be something that is stapled in their minds. It will cause undue stress to them to have these dogs brought back into the neighborhood, which is the current request of the owners,” said HOA Board Member Patrice Johnson. “At this time, we are asking you to reject this permit request given the nature of the incident and the fact that we have lost one of our children…”
Johnson echoed the worries of residents, saying that even under the best circumstances dogs can escape, and that the requirements of the permit are not enough to ease the anxiety surrounding these particular dogs.
Neighbor and Raleigh Police Officer Blake Dicello was first on the scene of the attack.
Blake Dicello, a longtime Raleigh Police Officer who lives across the street from the home the dogs resided at, intervened in the attack that day.
“That day will change me forever. I did not see two dogs defending their property. That’s not what I saw. I saw two dogs viciously attacking and mauling two unconscious people,” Dicello said. “I stand unequivocally with this community… I see children playing at that intersection daily...In fifteen years, I have never seen anything like what I saw on that afternoon, and I have seen some serious stuff.”
Mayor Ken Marshburn said that the Council has heard the concerns of the community and “will be diligent in pursuing this matter”, and reiterated that the final decision on if the dogs would be allowed to return rests with the Police Chief.
There is currently a “For Sale By Owner” sign outside of the residence.