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State Senator Bill Beagle
Remembering
Klonda Richey, Preventing Future Attacks
The Investigation Discovery documentary Fear Thy Neighbor recently shed
light on the events leading up to the tragic death of Klonda Richey, a
Dayton woman who lost her life in her own front yard during a vicious
and preventable attack by her neighbors’ dog.
Leading up to her death, Richey made several attempts to report her
neighbors' dogs to local authorities out of fear for her own safety as
well as concern for the animals’ welfare. Despite her efforts, the
owners were not indicted by a grand jury and were only charged with a
misdemeanor for failure to control the dogs.
As Ohioans spend more time outdoors during warmer weather, we are again
reminded of the need for common sense reforms that would ensure that
Klonda Richey’s tragic death was not in vain. Our system failed her and
more needs to be done to prevent future attacks. Ohio’s laws must hold
owners of dangerous dogs accountable in order to protect our children,
family, and friends. We need to equip our local officials with the
tools required to deal with problem pets and their owners.
After extensive consultation with a range of local experts, I
introduced Senate Bill 151 last year—known as the Klonda Richey Act.
This legislation honors the memory of Richey and many others who have
lost their lives in similar attacks, establishing comprehensive reforms
to our state’s vicious dog laws.
Senate Bill 151 received its third hearing this week in the Senate
Agriculture Committee. Klonda Richey’s death was caused by a senseless
attack, but this important legislation honors her life and takes
meaningful steps to protect others from the same preventable outcome.
The Klonda Richey Act is both responsive and preventative, establishing
a system of accountability for dog owners and creating more effective
response requirements for law enforcement. In the event of a tragedy,
the bill imposes more severe penalties to hold owners responsible and
increase awareness among animal owners. The bill creates a thorough
penalty structure for nuisance, dangerous and vicious dogs including
more severe penalties for seriously injuring or killing a person or
another companion animal. It is important to note that this bill does
not reinstitute any breed specific laws.
Ohioans’ complaints against malicious and menacing dogs must be taken
seriously while also providing local officials the means to effectively
respond to complaints and protect our neighborhoods.
The recent Investigation Discovery documentary as well as today’s
testimony remind us of the work that must be done to prevent future
attacks and I remain committed to moving this legislation forward in
the memory of Klonda Richey.
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