FL - Khloe Williams, 7 months, fatal dog attack, Clearwater, 5 OCT 2018

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Clearwater police officer was foster parent of baby killed by dog
October 6, 2018 @9:14 PM
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A 7-month-old girl who was fatally attacked by a dog was being fostered by a Clearwater police officer, the department confirmed Saturday.

7-month-old dies after being bitten by family dog in Clearwater
10:35 PM, Oct 6, 2018
CLEARWATER, Fla. — According to Clearwater Police Department, the licensed foster parent for the 7-month-old girl killed by a dog was Clearwater Detective Jonathan Maser.
[...]
First responders rushed the child, Khloe Williams, to Mease Countryside Hospital, where she later died.
[...]
Neighbors said the dog was extremely aggressive as animal control officers took it out of the home and to Pinellas County Animal Control.

Foster care agency ‘heartbroken’ over infant killed by dog in Clearwater
Updated: October 6, 2018 at 04:49 PM
Seventh-month-old Khloe Williams died after a dog attacked her Friday afternoon in Clearwater at the home of her foster father’s parents. The family’s mixed-breed dog bit the child, according to the Clearwater Police Department.
[...]
"She was not even big enough to walk or crawl or anything," the child’s biological mother, Shavon Grossman, told Fox 13 in an interview Friday. "I don’t understand how she was even around a dog that could do this."
 
Biological mother of foster child killed by dog in Clearwater hires attorney
Posted: Oct 07, 2018 11:06 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 08, 2018 04:24 AM EDT
The biological mother of the baby killed by a dog in Clearwater has hired an attorney to help her get answers. She says the foster care system failed her daughter, 7-month-old Khloe Williams.

The mother, Shavon Grossman, tells News Channel 8’s Gabrielle Shirley she saw Khloe about one hour before the dog attacked her. The two of them were together for a supervised visit. Now, she says she has too many unanswered questions.
[...]
“At one o'clock, she was with me and she was smiling and she was happy,” recalls Grossman, “and, then, I get told that at 2 o'clock she was mauled by the dog.”

Khloe later died at Mease Countryside Hospital.

Grossman asks, “Where were these people to stop this? Where? They didn't see this? They didn't hear my baby cry?”
[...]
 
An Eckerd Connects caseworker delivered 7-month-old infant Khloe Williams to the house where a family dog fatally mauled the child in foster care shortly before the child’s death Friday.

Williams had just wrapped up a supervised visit with her biological mother, Shavon Grossman, at Operation Par, where the mother is in drug rehab.

The Clearwater home where the attack took place on Fairwood Avenue belongs to former Clearwater Deputy Chief Paul Maser who now works in the city’s records department.

---------------------------------------

Eckerd Connects manager Chris Card says under state law there was no requirement for a home study at the babysitter’s home and it was okay for Maser to use his parents to watch the child under the “prudent parenting” test. Card says a number of foster parents have pets, including dogs.

Foster infant fatally mauled in home of retired Clearwater Deputy Chief


So the foster father is a current cop and his father is a retired chief... the foster grandmother was watching her at the time.

I'm with the mother on this one. This isn't even your own child, you don't get to take risks like that. It's simply not that difficult to keep dog and immobile baby separate. Gates, outside, doors, even leashes.

Anyone in law enforcement should be that much more aware of what can happen if you do not. It SHOULD be a rule for foster parents that babies/toddlers be kept separate from pets. Or at least foster babysitters.

How heartbreaking and easily preventable. :(
 
Mother of baby killed by dog in foster care thought family would be reunited soon
Published: October 8, 2018
Updated: October 8, 2018 at 07:59 PM
CLEARWATER — Shavon Grossman thought she was on the verge of getting her daughter back.

There was a hearing scheduled this week to discuss the future for the mother and 7-month-old Khloe Williams, who had been in foster care since May, according to the agency in charge of her case management. Grossman thought it was a matter of weeks before their reunion.

Instead, on Friday, just an hour after Grossman had seen off Khloe from a visit that morning, a dog attacked the infant at the Clearwater home of her foster father’s parents. She was pronounced dead at Mease Countryside Hospital, leaving Grossman struggling for answers.

"This is something that was preventable," Grossman, 34, said Sunday. "They’re supposed to be protecting her from me, and what happened?"
[...]
Grossman kept in touch regularly with the foster parents, she said, although on Sunday, she hadn’t heard from them since the attack. She didn’t know the family had a dog.
[...]
 
It was the foster father's parents house that she died at. So her foster grandparents. The foster parents may not have had a dog, it may have been the foster grandparents who had the dog. Which would explain why she didn't know they did.
 
The dog was taken into custody by Pinellas County Animal Control, said Doug Brightwell, the Pinellas County director of animal services. It is being held on a 10-day rabies quarantine. If it does not have rabies, the family may decide to keep the dog or have it euthanized, Brightwell said. Animal Control has not yet contacted Williams’ foster family about the dog.

Foster care agency ‘heartbroken’ over infant killed by dog in Clearwater

Wait, so in Florida if your dog kills someone it isn't automatically euthanized? I thought that was the law like everywhere? I don't understand why it's a question here. It's not like this dog was protecting someone, it mauled a baby to death.
 
I live nearby in FL and I know that there isn't a law that the dogs that kill someone are automatically euthanized. I do however believe that the dynamics of who the foster father and his parents are going to play a huge role in this. Hopefully what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again is put into place and if there is an investigation that shows any type of neglect or abuse is handled appropriately. MOO
 
snip>
AC's Grandma said:
I do however believe that the dynamics of who the foster father and his parents are going to play a huge role in this. Hopefully what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again is put into place and if there is an investigation that shows any type of neglect or abuse is handled appropriately. MOO
Click to expand...
LE emphasizes their commitment to be thorough, objective, fair, impartial:
"conducting a thorough and objective investigation"
"conducting a fair and impartial investigation"
Hmmmm. . . Needing to convince the public that they won't investigate with bias toward their colleagues?!?

Foster infant fatally mauled in home of retired Clearwater Deputy Chief
Updated: Oct 08, 2018 06:06 PM EDT
The Clearwater home where the attack took place on Fairwood Avenue belongs to former Clearwater Deputy Chief Paul Maser who now works in the city’s records department. Maser was the lead investigator looking into criminal allegations involving the Church of Scientology in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

Maser’s wife was the only adult home at the time and was babysitting Williams for her son Jonathan Maser, a Clearwater police detective who was the child’s foster parent.

Clearwater police are now investigating the foster infant’s death along with the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office.

The Clearwater Police Department issued the following statement from Deputy Chief Eric Gandy:
The Clearwater Police Department's homicide unit is conducting a thorough and objective investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of 7-month-old Khloe Williams. The detectives are collecting evidence and conducting interviews to determine exactly how this horrible dog attack occurred. This is a heartbreaking situation for everyone involved. We are committed to conducting a fair and impartial investigation. In order to ensure the integrity of the investigation we will not be releasing details or discussing the circumstances with anyone outside the investigation until it is complete.
 
AC's Grandma said:
I live nearby in FL and I know that there isn't a law that the dogs that kill someone are automatically euthanized. I do however believe that the dynamics of who the foster father and his parents are going to play a huge role in this. Hopefully what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again is put into place and if there is an investigation that shows any type of neglect or abuse is handled appropriately. MOO
Click to expand...

WOW.
In many states people worry if their animal scratches their child that the animal will be put down. In many states if an animal kills another animal it is put down.

It is mind blowing to me that after killing a baby there is even any question.... and I am the ultimate dog lover.
 
I know that, it was a pit mix. It doesn't matter, that's not my point at all. I love pit bulls. I love rescues. Just brought home a rescue dog last week. Brought home a rescue pit mix a few years ago. Had small beagles while my babies were younger. I'm not interested in a breed debate because if the dog had been kept separate, the baby wouldn't be dead.

I never ever left a baby alone with a dog, no matter how sweet they were. Babies don't understand enough to know how to behave around animals. Even some toddlers don't quite yet. Babies and dogs should be kept separate, especially when they don't live together to begin with. If the dog doesn't live full time with the baby there is no telling how it may react to the baby. You are only babysitting. It is NOT that difficult to keep them separate.

I don't care if it's a spaniel, collie, chihuahua, shepherd or pit. My astonishment comes in the fact that the OWNERS get to decide if it gets killed or not. I've just never heard of that before.

In every state I've lived in, if your dog INJURED a child who provoked it, the dog would likely be put down. I'm simply flabbergasted that this dog KILLED a BABY and the owners just get to decide what to do with it?

I'm just stunned I guess. This wasn't a rodent or a cat or a few stitches... it was a baby that is now dead. Wow.
 
I love dogs. I have BIG dogs, Akitas, which often get a bad rap like pitbulls do. My dogs are laid back and always under control. I trust my pups totally and have no fear of putting my face in theirs. That said, I'd NEVER leave a baby or young child unsupervised with ANY dog ANYTIME no matter how large or small it was.
 
No words to be said that will not get be permanently banned...

Grossman’s attorney confirmed Friday she has had 9 children, the oldest is 17 and none of them is currently in her care.

Clearwater Police Chief says 'no conflict' in baby mauling case

Personally, I see A LOT of conflict in this investigation. Clearwater Police should turn this over to another agency to investigate.
 
I think dog owner committed 2nd degree misdemeanor because "the owner of the dog had knowledge of the dog’s dangerous propensities, yet demonstrated a reckless disregard for such propensities under the circumstances" FL Statute 767.136

Clearwater Police Chief says 'no conflict' in baby mauling case
Updated: Oct 12, 2018 03:08 PM EDT
[...]
Slaughter also revealed that the rescue pet had a previous recorded incident of biting Paul Master when he first acquired the dog back in March. Slaughter says the dog had been around the baby several times previously without incident and also was used to the foster parents’ five children.

The chief says it will be up to prosecutors whether to file criminal charges but he suggested some sort of abuse or culpable negligence charge is possible.
[...]

Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine
The 2018 Florida Statutes
767.136 Attack or bite by unclassified dog that causes severe injury or death; penalties.—
(1) If a dog that has not been declared dangerous attacks and causes severe injury to, or the death of, a human, and the owner of the dog had knowledge of the dog’s dangerous propensities, yet demonstrated a reckless disregard for such propensities under the circumstances, the owner of the dog commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.775.083
 
I am glad that the owners made the right decision. Beyond that I won't even comment.
 
The dog was euthanized Friday morning
New details emerge in fatal dog attack on Clearwater 7-month-old
Published: October 13, 2018
Pamela Maser was bringing the baby a bottle when the dog started barking.
Maser opened the kennel to take the dog outside. Instead, the retriever-hound mix ran toward 7-month-old Khloe Williams and attacked her.
Maser separated the two, but the damage was done. Doctors pronounced Khloe dead Oct. 5 at Mease Countryside Hospital.
The narrative is part of new details released Friday by Clearwater police. The dog was euthanized Friday morning, said Doug Brightwell, Pinellas County Animal Services director.
Police Chief Dan Slaughter said detectives are continuing to investigate the attack and will forward their findings to the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office to decide whether charges are warranted.
[...]
Lawyers representing Khloe’s mother, Shavon Grossman, are calling for a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the attack, asserting there are conflicts of interest for Slaughter’s agency.
[...]
 
Okay, this makes me feel slightly better that some precautions were taken. I would have either had the kennel in the other room, the leash on the dog before it came out of the kennel or the baby in a highchair but at least they weren't just unattended together. Not that it changes anything.
 
2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Adopted Dog Kills Baby Girl While in Foster Care in Clearwater, Florida | DogsBite Blog

More info about the dog and rehoming above - I think charges should be brought not only against the foster grandparents, but the shelter who barely played lip service to aggressive tests/guarding behaviour.

The shelter also decided to advertise the dog as a retriever/hound mix despite taking it in as a Pitt Bull mix. To me that is negligent, whatever you think about the breed, potential owners have the right to make their own risk assessments based on accurate information.

Having said that, these people adopted the dog even *after* it bit and scratched them at the shelter, despite having 5 grandchildren and various foster grandchildren. So I strongly suspect they were arrogant/complacent enough to think they could manage this risk. Idiots.

Poor little Khloe paid with her life, I can't imagine how her mother feels. I hope some policy change comes after this, although I doubt it will.

ETA spelling
 
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