Hearing to Decide Fate of Pit Bulls

An administrative hearing to determine the fate of two pit bull terriers that badly mauled a Sylmar man in February will continue Friday at the East Valley animal shelter.

The hearing could result in an order that the animals be destroyed and/or that their alleged owners be prohibited from owning dogs for at least three years, said James Connelly, hearing examiner for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services.

The administrative procedure is separate from an investigation into possible criminal charges that could be filed against the owners, department officials said. They declined to say whether any criminal charges have been filed.

During testimony last week and Monday, an animal control officer and neighbors of the dogs’ owners said the two pit bulls had previously been impounded after attacking other neighborhood pets.

Officer Rey Maldonado said he captured the dogs in November after a neighbor complained that the animals had attacked her potbellied pigs.

The alleged dog owners are Pamela Joyce Curry and Michael Tatum of Sylmar. They have not yet testified in their defense, but through their attorney have said they no longer owned the dogs when the Feb. 16 mauling occurred.

Early that morning, Acension Cervantes, 40, of Sylmar was attacked by two dogs as he arrived for work at the Valley Crest Tree Co. in Sylmar, causing serious hand, scalp and abdominal injuries.

Attorney Rhonda L. Hogg of Simi Valley, who represents Curry and Tatum, has not returned calls from The Times. Lt. Pam Hanna, who is representing the department in the administrative hearing, declined comment Tuesday, saying only that a criminal investigation is continuing.

The two dogs involved in the attack--a male and a female--had not been spayed or neutered, which department officials said might have contributed to their aggressive behavior. Neighbors of the alleged owners said animal control officers removed two other pit bull terriers from the Curry-Tatum yard.

Cervantes, who has undergone two reconstructive surgeries and faces several more, is continuing to recover at home from his injuries. Co-workers have contributed about $7,000 to a fund to assist the father of three, said Cervantes’ employer, Stuart J. Sperber, the company president.

A civil suit seeking unspecified and punitive damages was filed last week in San Fernando Superior Court against Curry, Tatum and their landlord, said Jeffrey E. Zinder, Cervantes’ attorney.