The Arapahoe County district attorney filed charges today against the mother and sister of a ten-year-old boy mauled by the family’s pit bulls last month.
Renee Denise Muniz, 37, is facing child abuse, cruelty to animals and unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog charges in the November 2nd attack against her son, Gregg Jones.
The child abuse charge is a felony, carrying up to six years in prison. The others are misdemeanors.
Danielle Denise Carson, 20, is facing misdemeanors for cruelty to animals and unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog.
Muniz is free in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
Gregg was attacked at his home in the 16600 block of East Asbury Avenue.
The dogs dragged the boy to the ground and severely mauled him. The elementary school student suffered severe bite wounds to his head, throat and body.
Neighbors rushed to Gregg’s rescue after hearing his cries and beat the pit bulls off with tree branches and a baseball bat.
One of the dogs involved in the attack, Pepper, was shot by police at the scene and was later euthanized.
Pepper belonged to Carson and had been registered with the city in June at a different address. She told authorities that she had moved into the home a week before.
Authorities also found two puppies at the home, a pit bull and a chow-pit bull mix.
Aurora city codes allow a household to have a maximum of three dogs older than 4 months.
Misdemeanor charges for having an excessive number of dogs carry a penalty of $15 to $1,000 in fines and as much as a year in jail.
The dogs taken from the home remain at the Aurora Animal Care Division, police said.
Two weeks before the attack, Aurora passed a sweeping law banning new pit bulls from the city and imposing strict regulations on existing pit bulls. The ordinance takes effect in February.
After the attack, Gregg was taken to Children’s Hospital, where he remained for almost a month. He was released Nov. 29 and attended a fundraiser at an Aurora roller-skating rink Tuesday night with his mother.
