Owner of pit bulls that mauled Arlington man arrested, police say
The owner of the dogs that attacked and mauled a man at an Arlington apartment complex in February has been arrested, officials said.
Eric Moten, 31, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count of attack by dog resulting in serious bodily injury, police said.
Moten’s pit bulls attacked a 49-year-old man on Feb. 12 at an apartment complex in the 700 block of Ridgeglen Drive. Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV and a GoFundMe account identified the victim as Terrance Marshall.
Marshall told WFAA that he was checking the weather before work when the dogs attacked him. One dog bit him on the ear, another bit him on the arm and two more bit him through his work boots. A fifth dog bit him on the back of the head, resulting in a large gash.
By the time the owner and two bystanders were able to pull the dogs off, Marshall was seriously injured. He spent seven and a half hours in the emergency room, where he received 79 stitches, according to WFAA.
Arlington Animal Control and the Arlington Police Department investigated the attack and issued an arrest warrant for Moten. The charge, attack by dog resulting in serious bodily injury, is a felony in Texas.
Moten is accused of criminal negligence in not securing the dogs, according to the arrest warrant. Animal Control tried to contact him with an order to quarantine the dogs to check for rabies, but Moten did not answer the door of his apartment, the warrant says.
One of Moten’s pit bulls also reportedly bit a woman in the finger in December, according to the warrant.
Moten is being held at the Tarrant County Jail on a $10,000 bond, police said.
