A 73-year-old woman, Jo Echelbarger, was killed in a brutal dog attack in Pickaway County. The tragedy struck close to her home on Kidlow Court in Ashville, as she was reportedly gardening when the attack occurred. According to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Echelbarger suffered severe injuries leading to cardiac arrest while en route to Grant Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
The circumstances became more harrowing as a police officer was forced to fatally shoot one of two dogs after it attempted to attack him. The second dog was also killed, though details surrounding its death remain unclear, as reported by WBNS. The dispatch occurred near Echelbarger's residence in a condominium complex, where the dogs, identified as pit bulls, broke free from a nearby home before commencing their rampage.
In the wake of the attack, the community is uprooted over the previous concerns regarding the dogs. It was revealed that legal action to remove the animals had been requested two weeks before the incident, and in a statement obtained by The Columbus Dispatch, a neighboring relative recounted that the dogs had a history of aggression, having previously killed another dog last year. The Pickaway County Prosecutor and city attorney are expected to discuss potential criminal charges in a meeting on Monday.
Further details of the attack were shared by a family member, Courtney Johnson, who told FOX28 about the harrowing moments leading up to the decision she made when her pet was attacked. "I looked at the dog. We locked eyes, and I was like, I either kick this dog, and he turns on me, and I die here, or I just have to make the decision to unhook my dogs and just run as fast as I can." Unfortunately, her two-year-old Goldendoodle, "Sonny," did not survive.
After the incident, authorities, including the Ashville police and the Pickaway County Dog Warden, are investigating. Preston Schumacher, the Pickaway County Dog Warden, conveyed his emotional distress over the incident, as stated by FOX28, "I'm taking this pretty hard on myself. I took on this job not only for the care of animals but for the care of this county alone. This is never something I would ever dreamed of ever happening." Schumacher confirmed police shot the two dogs implicated in the incident and that further details will be released following the ongoing criminal investigation.
