Corbin teen attacked by Rottweiler

Ten days after falling victim to a vicious attack by a Rottweiler a Corbin teenager is slowly recovering … still unable to walk or leave her home without assistance. It was the second time in seven days the dog had bitten a juvenile, and the victim’s father and dog owners are at odds over what should happen to the animal.
Sixteen-year-old Michelle Baker was bitten by the dog, a two-year-old named “Rocky,” about 11:00 p.m. July 3 while visiting a friend at a Third Street residence. Baker said she’s always been wary of the dog, but decided to try to pet it after another friend encouraged her to do so.
“She said, ‘Michelle, the only way the dog is going to get used to you is if you come over here [and pet it],'” Baker said. “I walked over there, and squatted down … the dog was on it’s back. He kind of flipped over real fast and that’s when I was like, whoa! I went to leave to get away from him and he got me.”
Baker was transported by ambulance to Baptist Regional Medical Center to be treated for the wound to the back of her right leg which tore through skin and nerves, and ripped her calf muscle near the knee all the way to the bone.
At the time of the attack, Rocky was under quarantine by the Whitley County Health Department because of a less serious attack on an 11-year-old girl June 26. Though police were contacted after the first bite, no report was requested and no citations were issued.
Corbin Police Officer Jason Williams, who is investigating the July 3 attack on Baker, said he doesn’t plan to file charges in the case, a decision he made on Tuesday.
That’s because during both attacks, the dog was confined to the back yard of the Third Street home by a chain. Since the dog wasn’t running loose and wasn’t near a public sidewalk, Williams said he left the decision to file criminal charges in the case up to County Attorney Paul Winchester, who told him not to proceed.
“He said not to pursue charges,” Williams said. “They had the dog in the yard like it was supposed to be. There’s really nothing I can do.”
Williams said owners of the animal could only have been charged with harboring a vicious animal – a misdemeanor offense.
Rocky’s owners, Judy Fluty and her son Justin Hembree, say they warned Baker about the dog before the attack ever occurred. They both claim Rocky was tethered to a chain that prevented him from leaving their backyard during both attacks.
“He was not off the chain either time this happened. He was not out of our yard,” Fluty said. “Every kid has been told to stay away from the dog … They decided they were going to try to pet this dog. Why? I don’t know. They knew to stay away from the dog. I don’t know what possessed these kids to go out there that night.”
Fluty said she called an ambulance when Baker was injured and accompanied her to the hospital.
“I hate what happened, I do. It made me physically sick what happened.”
Michelle’s father, William Baker, said he was told by police and health department officials that Rocky has to be euthanized because of the attacks.
Williams said he isn’t sure what will happen to the animal.
“I think after the second time, something like that, they do have to be destroyed,” he said. “This is all new to me. You usually don’t hear of a dog biting somebody again. This is one of those weird things, for something like this to happen so quick, back-to-back. If somebody was killed or something, you would put [the dog] down. If it wasn’t chained up, I’d have already have charged them.”
Fluty said a Whitley County Health Department Official told her the dog did not have to be destroyed. Officials from the health department could not be reached Tuesday.
William Baker said his daughter is in a great deal of pain during her recovery. She was a member of the Corbin High School Volleyball team and planned to play the sport this season at Whitley County High School. He said she also was unable to take a summer job that she was hired for because of the injury. Nurses come daily to clean the wound and shorten drainage tubes. Baker said doctors think his daughter may have suffered temporary nerve damage because of the bite.
“She’ll be lucky to be able to walk to by the time school starts,” William Baker said. “It pretty much knocked her out of the rest of her summer … They don’t need to be around kids – pit bulls and Rottweilers. I won’t let her go back over there again. That’s a dangerous house.”
Fluty said the dog was provoked before the first attack, claiming kids were taunting the animal by throwing cherry pits at it before straying into the yard.
“You can’t do that,” she said. “Dogs aren’t stupid. When you try to provoke a dog or animal, they are going to remember that. They don’t take kindly to it.”
Michelle Baker said, though unfortunate, she thinks the dog ought to be destroyed.
“I think the dog should be put to sleep, personally,” she said. “I feel bad about all of it because we are friends.”
Her father said he is considering civil litigation as a result of the incident.