Pickaway County has quietly rearranged the top ranks at its dog shelter, sliding William Brannock into the chief dog warden job while former chief Preston Schumacher stepped down to deputy. The change comes as the county is still reeling from an October 2024 mauling in Ashville that killed 73-year-old Jo Ann Echelbarger and set off criminal charges and civil litigation. Brannock says he has been in the role for roughly three and a half weeks, and county paperwork shows Schumacher filed formal notice of the move in January.
According to county records and local reporting, Schumacher submitted his notice on Jan. 21, and Brannock is now officially in charge of the Pickaway County dog shelter. The personnel shift was logged in county documents, and CW Columbus reports that Schumacher requested the demotion himself as scrutiny of the shelter's handling of the Ashville dogs intensified.
What Led To The Shake-Up
The leadership shuffle tracks back to the Oct. 17, 2024 attack in Ashville that left Echelbarger dead and sparked a wrongful-death lawsuit against the dogs' owners and several local entities, according to WOSU. Follow-up reporting, including body-worn camera footage reviewed by ABC6, shows a responding officer asking, "Who's dog? Is that him?" as barking grows louder, then firing at the animals on scene.
Local outlets had already documented a trail of complaints and earlier removal orders involving the same dogs, a pattern highlighted in Hoodline's coverage of the fatal dog attack.
New Command At The Shelter
Brannock has been frank about the public unease over Schumacher staying on the payroll. He told ABC6, "There's a new command," and said his staff "has to back me" as he settles into the job. He added that his immediate focus is stabilizing day-to-day operations and rebuilding public confidence in how the county handles dangerous-dog calls.
Legal Stakes
Schumacher is named in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Echelbarger's family, which alleges that county and condominium officials failed to remove dangerous animals, according to WOSU. Court records and local reporting indicate that Schumacher's attorney has filed a response arguing that his "number one defense" is immunity as a government employee, as reported by CW Columbus.
For now, Brannock is running an office under both legal and public scrutiny while the lawsuit and internal questions continue to unfold. Residents and Echelbarger's family say they will be watching closely to see whether the leadership change leads to tougher follow-through on dangerous-dog rules or other policy changes at the shelter.
