Court throws out charges against owners in dog attack

CHARLOTTE (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has thrown out charges against an Eaton County couple whose dog got under a fence and repeatedly bit a lawn care worker.

Debra Olney and husband Daniel Ridge were charged with owning a dangerous animal that caused serious injury.

Roscoe attacked a woman who was spraying fertilizer and weed control on a neighbor’s lawn.

The appeals court said prosecutors failed to show that Roscoe had previously attacked a person, a key point necessary to send the owners to trial. The court says Roscoe’s past aggression against a fence and lawn mower tires doesn’t count.

The dog was described as a possible pit bull and Shar-Pei mix.