No charges in Spanaway dog attack

Criminal charges will not be filed against the owner of two dogs that attacked a Spanaway woman who later died. Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist announced last Friday that an investigation of the attack didn't produce any evidence to support criminal charges. On Oct. 30, 2013, Nga Woodhead was walking along Pacific Avenue South in Spanaway when she was attacked by two pit bulls. Authoritieis said the woman tried to fight off the dogs with her umbrella. A passerby came to Woodhead's aid and shot one of the dogs, while the second dog was shot by county sheriff deputies who were called to the scene. Woodhead was taken to a hospital for medical attention. One week after the attack, she died suddenly as she was preparing to be discharged from the hospital, officials said. Sheriff Department detectives interviewed the dogs' owner and neighbors about the history of the animals. Those statements, along with police and medical examiner reports, were forwarded to Lindquist's office for a decision on possible charges, include felony crimes relating to owning dangerous dogs. Those crimes require prosecutors to prove the owner had prior knowledge the dogs were a danger to others, Lindquist noted. But the investigation failed to uncover any evidence of such an offense, and owning a specific breed of dog isn't considered to be proof of prior knowledge, Lindquist said.

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