Dog owner charged in fatal mauling
Fort Bend County authorities have arrested and charged a 47-year-old man in connection with a fatal dog attack last week.
Samuel Cartwright has been charged with ‘attack by dog resulting in death,’ a second-degree felony, according to the Fort Bend County sheriff’s office. He was jailed instead of $100,000 bail.
Investigators identified Cartwright as the owner of seven dogs that mauled 71-year-old Freddy Garcia to death Monday afternoon in the Fresno area.
Sheriff’s deputies and animal control staffers captured all of the pit bull mix dogs, according to officials.
Sheriff Eric Fagan said in a statement Friday that he was relieved the dogs were captured and offered condolences to the victim’s family.
‘This tragedy did not have to happen,’ he said. ‘It was through the collaborative efforts of our deputies, Fort Bend Animal Control, and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office that this investigation was expertly and swiftly handled.’
A county spokesperson said the dogs will remain in the care of Fort Bend County Animal Services until a court orders the disposition of the animals.
Garcia was attacked while walking to a convenience store near his home.
The animals were a familiar sight near the garage apartment on Mark Terrace Lane where Garcia had lived for a decade with a friend, his brother told the Chronicle.
It was the second dog attack in days in the Fresno area and the latest among several similar incidents across the Houston area.
It was the second dog attack in days in the Fresno area and the latest among several similar incidents across the Houston area.
In late June, Harris County prosecutors charged Matthew Leroy Satchell, 32, in connection with a fatal dog attack in the Huffman area, according to court records.
Nicolas Vazquez, 51, died of injuries sustained in that attack. Investigators believe Satchell failed to secure his three dogs, which escaped through a hole under a fence in his backyard, records show.
In that case, neighbors told authorities that Satchell’s dogs — named Brownie, Oreo, and Donut — frequently ran loose. They once attacked a neighbor’s dog and another time chased a boy on a bike, according to court records.
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