McGehee Considers Ban on Pit Bulls After Boy Attacked
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September 30, 2004, McGEHEE, ARKANSAS -- A pit bull's attack of a 5-year-old McGehee boy has officials
considering a citywide ban on the breed.
Michelle Smith, a resident of Shady Oaks mobile home park at McGehee, said her son, Robert Fowler, was
attacked by a neighbor's pit bull Sunday afternoon. As a result, Robert had to undergo two hours of surgery
and received 169 stitches.
"His legs looked like hamburger meat," Smith said.
Smith, who is pregnant and on bed rest, has had to stay with her mother at Little Rock since the attack
because Robert is unable to walk due to muscle damage from his injuries. She said he had a four-inch slash
on the inside of his right thigh; two holes, 2 inches wide, on the back of his right thigh; several
puncture wounds on his right calf; and a slash that went to the bone on his left knee.
She said the dog was chained at the time of the attack, but Robert was at the home playing with the owner's
son.
"It wasn't the first time my son went down there to play," Smith said.
As a result of the attack, the McGehee Police Department took the dog into the city's custody Sunday.
Smith is fearful that the dog will be returned to her neighbors, as she said she was told that the city can
only keep the dog for 10 days. She also thinks the dog should be euthanized.
"I just want to be assured that this dog is not brought back into the mobile home park," she said. "I don't
want him (Robert) coming home and being afraid to get off the school bus because the dog is outside."
McGehee Mayor Bain Poole said City Attorney Mark Drake is researching the city's options.
"We're still trying to get the city attorney to interpret what the city ordinance does say," Poole said.
"It does not give us the legal authority to put the dog down."
He said the city is looking into whether there is a state law on the books that would supersede the
ordinance "since this dog did attack this kid and do serious damage."
"We feel there is reason to believe that the dog is dangerous to any kid in that area," Poole said. "But
whether or not that gives us the legal right to do something with the dog is what we're trying to determine
at this time."
An amendment to the current ordinance is expected to be presented at the next McGehee City Council meeting
Oct. 12, Poole said. That amendment would "prohibit pit bull dogs within the city limits at any time."
"We're going to maintain possession of the dog until after the next City Council meeting and make some
decision hopefully at that point," he said.
Poole said there was another incident a few weeks ago in which a person was attacked by a different pit
bull in another part of town. He said no action was taken in that matter because the city was not notified
and didn't find out about it until several days later.
