Owner of dog that attacked girl is arrested
The owner of a dog that last month attacked a 3-year-old girl inside a Spring restaurant has been arrested, according to Harris County court records.
Jennifer Romano, 46, on Monday was booked into the Harris County Jail on felony charges of injury to a child and tampering with evidence in connection with the attack. Her bail was not listed by Monday night.
Romano is the owner of Kingston, a Staffordshire bull terrier that lunged and bit Ronin Waldroup on the face at the Loose Caboose restaurant Jan. 9.
The girl was taken to the emergency room at Memorial Hermann Hospital in The Woodlands, where she was treated for deep lacerations, puncture wounds and tearing to the skin on the right side of her face. She was sedated and received 14 stitches. She may have to undergo plastic surgery to repair disfigurement to her face, court records say.
Witnesses said Romano fled the scene after the unprovoked attack. A judge in Montgomery County ruled Jan. 26 that the dog be euthanized, rejecting arguments from Romano’s defense attorney that he could be retrained.
In charging papers filed
Monday, a Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigator said the dog had previously bitten two people in separate incidents, including one within 12 months of the attack on the 3-year-old.
Further, the investigator said Romano concealed Kingston from authorities while they were trying to seize the dog.
Romano’s attorney, John Kovach, could not immediately be reached for comment. Representatives for Waldroup’s family declined to comment.
After three days of testimony, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Matt Beasley ruled that Kingston should be put down. The dog has since been euthanized, KTRK-TV reported.
In the hearing, Kovach argued that the dog should be given a second chance partly because Romano relies on him for emotional support.
Beasley, however, said Romano demonstrated a lack of care and responsibility when she fled from the restaurant after the attack.
The sheriff ’s office investigator spoke to multiple witnesses of the attack, which occurred while both parties stood in line at the restaurant at 26403 Preston Ave.
One witness said Waldroup was standing about 1 to 2 feet behind the dog when it turned around and bit her face. The witness said Romano pulled on the dog’s leash as he released the girl.
Another person, identified in court documents as Perry Muras, was seen on video entering the restaurant with Romano. He told investigators he believed the girl “grazed” the dog before the attack. He admitted that he and Romano fled to his car “because (Romano) wanted to protect Kingston,” the charging documents say.
He said Romano told him it was the girl’s fault as they drove to her apartment.
Muras also told police that Kingston bit his right forearm a couple of years ago inside Romano’s house.
“Witness Muras said defendant should have known Kingston could be aggressive even if unprovoked,” charging documents say.
Another woman told police she used to live with Romano. She said Kingston bit her face, injuring her lip, in an unprovoked attack last June. The woman said Romano owned numerous dogs that all have “service animal” vests.
Kingston had been wearing a “service dog” vest during the attack, authorities said.
Romano’s doctor previously wrote a letter stating that service animals help her with her general anxiety disorder, but it did not specify Kingston by name. In the recent hearing, friends and relatives testified that Romano also has bipolar disorder, depression and hypertension and that she takes multiple medications.
Dogs that provide comfort or emotional support only do not qualify as service animals, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act defines a service animal as a dog trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
In recent years, Romano has been named in multiple lawsuits surrounding a different pit bull, Gus, she claimed to be rehabilitating through her now-defunct business, Maggie’s House Rescue.
In a previous bite case in 2013, a judge in Montgomery County ruled that Gus caused serious bodily injury. The judge ordered the dog euthanized.
Romano was set to appear late Monday in a probable cause hearing. Her next court date is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday in the 248th District Court.