Vickie Tkacz was “hostile and uncooperative” and refused to turn over two of her Newfoundlands during a police investigation into a fatal dog mauling at Jackson Cove Park July 26.
Tkacz breeds Newfoundlands, large dogs (130 to 150 pounds) known for their docile nature.
However, animal control officers said four of Tkacz’s dogs killed an 11-year-old Lab mix at Jackson Cove.
According to an arrest warrant made public Thursday, Tkacz’s boyfriend, William Ratliff, allowed four children to walk four Newfoundlands on the leashes from the family’s house to the Jackson Cove beach.
The arrest warrant does not say who the children are or give their ages.
The Newfies attacked a Lab mix named Roxi in front of her owner, 20-year-old part-time town park employee Patrick Severson. The Lab suffered gruesome injuries, including a 10-inch wide would to her neck. She died shortly after the attack at a vet’s office.
The entire attack was caught on video and shows four Newfies attacking the Lab, according to an arrest warrant.
Oxford Animal Control Officer Sandra Merry and state police Sgt. Daniel Semosky went to Tkacz’s house after the attack to quarantine the four Newfies who attacked the mixed Lab.
However, just two of the Newfies were at the property.
“Upon arrival, Officer Merry discovered that … two of the dogs had been taken out of state by Tkacz,” according to the the arrest warrant authored by state Animal Control Officer Barbara Godejohn.
“Tkacz refused to reveal the location of the dogs, was hostile and uncooperative and stated she refused to turn over the remaining two dogs for quarantine,” the warrant states. “Officer Merry explained that she had 24 hours to turn the dogs over for quarantine or she would be facing charges.”
The arrest warrant is posted below. Article continues after the document.
Semosky went to Tkacz home July 27 to quarantine the two missing dogs. There were two Newfies there — but Tkacz’s boyfriend told Semosky those dogs were not the Newfies who attacked the Lab.
Those have been sold to someone in New York, Tkacz lawyer told the Valley Indy Wednesday.
Semosky, acting on the advice of Godejohn, took the dogs and put them in quarantine nevertheless.
“In subsequent conversations between Tkacz and the police, she states that the two dogs removed from her property on 7/27/11 were not the dogs involved in the attack. She further states that she refuses to turn over the correct dogs over to the police or animal control,” the warrant states.
The arrest warrant concludes that Tkacz’s dogs have been known to roam — but does not give any specifics — “and that Tkacz has been warned and has been issued infractions in the past for the dogs roaming and creating a nuisance on several occasions.”
The warrant does not provide further details on the past encounters with animal control.
Tkacz has a different account of what happened. Click here to read it.
