Houston Chronicle: Condo Association, Dog Owner, Unit Owner Face Lawsuit in Dog Mauling Fatality
By Cindy George
June 25, 2014
Houston – Nearly six months after at least two dogs fatally mauled Christina Bell in southeast Houston, homicide investigators have turned the case over to Harris County prosecutors. City authorities initially responded to the attack by vicious dogs last January by issuing 12 misdemeanor citations to Tiara D. Thomas, 26, for allowing unvaccinated and unlicensed pit bull mixes to run loose. Animal control and Houston Police Department officials confirm that at least one of the dogs attacked Bell, a 43-year-old often homeless woman.
In the ensuing months, the deceased woman’s husband, Benjamin Franklin Bell, has filed a negligence lawsuit against Thomas as well as her rental unit’s owner and the condo association that governs the complex where she resided. Harris County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Jeff McShan said that District Attorney Devon Anderson will decide whether to present the case to a grand jury but could not provide a timetable. Read more: