Dog Attack On Toddler Leads To Charges For Oswego Man

OSWEGO, IL — A November dog biting incident that left a 4-year-old child with severe face injuries has led to an Oswego man being charged with cruel treatment of an animal under the Animal Control Act and Humane Care of Animals Act, according to Oswego police. The Oswego Police Department said they were called to a home in the 100 block of Fox Chase Drive South at 6:50 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22 for a report of a dog bite that happened at 7 p.m. the previous night. Police were told a family member and a child went in the home where the family dog, a black colored pit bull terrier, attacked and bit the child, police said.

According to police, the family member caring for the 4-year-old child took him local hospital for severe facial injuries.

A police report said 46-year-old Shaun J. Manning claimed he released the dog from his home after the attack and hadn't seen it since. However, police said they've been in contact with the home many times since the incident and haven't seen the dog in the area or have received any sign the animal is at the home. They haven't gotten any reports of a dog on the loose matching the dog's description, the report added.

Police said the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office filed three charges against Manning on Friday, Dec. 28. The misdemeanor charges filed against him are abandoning an animal where it may become a public charge or may suffer injury, hunger or exposure, by releasing it to run free after it had bitten a person, failure to quarantine an animal after it had bitten a person, and failure to provide proof of inoculation.

Police report information is provided by local police departments. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

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