Andrew Nason, 30, and Julie Custer, 27, were sentenced in May 2015 in Dayton Municipal Court a couple weeks after both pleaded no contest and were each found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of failure to control dogs.
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The bill had its fourth hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday. It could have its fifth hearing and a possible committee vote on Wednesday.
If passed, the bill would:
* Changing the definition of a vicious dog from a dog who causes serious injury to a person to a dog that has killed a person.
* Requiring a court to order the humane destruction of a vicious dog or a dog that has killed a person, but has not been determined to be a vicious dog.
* If a dog kills someone, the penalty for failure to confine or restrain a dog increases from a fourth to a fifth degree felony.
* If a dog causes serious injury, the penalty for failure to confine or restrain a dog changes from a first degree misdemeanor to a fifth degree felony.
* The addition of child endangerment to the list of offenses that can prevent a person from owning certain types of dogs.
* Clarifying that “dog wardens” have the authority to make arrests.
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