The family of Jo Ann Echelbarger, who was killed in a dog attack, want their mother's death to bring change to Ohio.
* A woman was killed by two pit bulls in her garden, leading to prison sentences for the dog owners.
* A civil lawsuit alleges negligence by the condo association, property manager, and county dog warden.
* Ohio lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen penalties for owners of dangerous dogs.
A year ago, two pit bulls viciously attacked Jo Ann Echelbarger as she crouched over her garden plot, ripping her apart as her disabled husband helplessly watched from their screened in porch.
The dog owners are now serving prison sentences and a civil lawsuit accuses the condo association, property management firm and Pickaway County dog warden of negligence. The civil case is set for trial in February.
"I am extraordinarily confident that this case is going to result in one of the largest jury verdicts in Ohio history," said attorney Rex Elliott, who is representing the Echelbarger family.
Jo Ann's husband, Stanley, died in a nursing home less than six months after her death. Her children and grandchildren are marking milestones - graduations, holidays, birthdays - without them.
"They're not going to get over this. This hole is going to be in their lives forever," Elliott said. "And not just that they lost her. It's the way they lost her. It's going to haunt them forever."
Pickaway County declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The Echelbarger case was featured in a nine-month investigation published by The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and Canton Repository into how dangerous dog attacks across Ohio cause disfigurement, amputations, psychological trauma and sometimes deaths.
What happened on Kildow Court?
Jo Ann and Stanley downsized to a condo on Kildow Court in Ashville as Stanley's health declined. Jo Ann saw it as a place where she could more easily focus on his care.
In May 2024, they bought a condo next door to Susan Withers and her son Adam, who owned multiple dogs including two pit bulls named Apollo and Echo. The Echelbargers didn't know that the condo association had been issuing warning letters to Witherses about their dogs for nearly a decade or that Apollo had attacked another condo resident and killed her puppy.
Elliott said the condo association and property manager missed 14 opportunities to prevent the attack on Echelbarger since 2015 and the county dog warden blew a dozen chances in 2023 and 2024.
Ashville police officers called the warden the night of Sept. 27, 2024 - three weeks before the deadly attack - because the dogs were in the street and had been exposed to cocaine. The warden didn't show up, Elliott said.
"It was their job to remove these dogs. They didn't do their jobs," he said.
What happened to the dog owners?
Susan and Adam Withers failed to fix their front door latch, which allowed Apollo and Echo to escape the condo and attack Echelbarger.
A jury convicted them of involuntary manslaughter and other charges. Pickaway County Common Pleas Court Judge Matthew Chafin sentenced them to a minimum of 14 years in prison. The Witherses are appealing.
Generally, violations of Ohio's dog laws are misdemeanors, but the pet owners can face a fourth-degree felony for failing to control or confine a dog that has a documented history of dangerous or vicious behavior. It's rare but not precedent setting for prosecutors to seek involuntary manslaughter charges in fatal dog attacks.
Efforts to strengthen Ohio law
State lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen penalties for owners of dangerous dogs. House Bill 247 cleared the House on a unanimous vote in June and is now pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It's named after Avery Russell, 12, of Columbus, who was severely disfigured in a June 2024 attack in Reynoldsburg.
If it becomes law, it'll be the first major overhaul of Ohio's dangerous dog laws since 2012. The bill calls for key changes:
* Courts would be required to order euthanasia of a dog after it kills or seriously injures a human being. Current law only mandates euthanasia if a vicious dog kills a second person.
* Owners of dangerous or vicious dogs would be required to buy at least $100,000 in liability insurance.
* Fees for annual registration of dangerous or vicious dogs would double to $100.
* Dogs will be impounded by the county shelter while a case is pending. The owner has to pay the cost, unless the dog is later not found to be dangerous.
* Owners could face stiffer criminal penalties if they negligently fail to prevent their dog from biting or attacking someone.
* Dog wardens would be explicitly empowered to make arrests and enforce the dog laws.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at [email protected] and @lbischoff on X.