- April 17, 2024
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Ormond Beach police arrested a 47-year-old woman who, after almost a half-hour of officers attempting to speak with her about her children's well-being, answered her front door with an "extremely aggressive" German Shepherd, who later bit a community service officer, according to a report.
Police officers went to Jennifer Dennison's home in the 300 block of Muddy Creek Lane on Tuesday, Feb. 19, in response to a well-being check request by an attorney representing the children's father. The report states that the attorney told officers that one child had not been to school in over a week, and that the other had been withdrawn. The children's father had not been able to contact the kids, as Dennison allegedly failed to return any of his calls and texts, and the children's phone were disconnected. He had not seen the kids in three weeks, the report states.
When police arrived at the scene, two officers saw Dennison smoking a cigarette on the back patio through the front double glass doors. According to the report,
one officer knocked (the sliding doors to the patio were open) and Dennison made eye contact with him before continuing to smoke her cigarette. She did not get up to answer the door. Officers walked to the back of the residence, and on the way, saw one of the children in a back room.
The child was on a laptop with headphones plugged in, the report states. The child acknowledged the officers with hand gestures, and officers asked him to come to the door. The child pulled the blinds closed.
Officers tried to make contact with Dennison for 24 minutes before she finally came to the front door, holding her German Shepherd by the collar. The report states that the dog was barking, "growling very loud" and trying to break loose. "The dog would lunge at officers and [Dennison] would struggle to hold the dog back," it reads.
Police took out their tasers in case she let the dog loose on them, and asked her to put the dog away. She told them to put the tasers down first. After she put the dog inside the house, the woman was placed under arrest on five charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and two charges for resisting an officer without violence. She told officers she'd only had the dog for two weeks, and that he was protective of her.
As a community service officer — who was wearing thick leather gloves according to the report — was trying to take the dog into custody to transport him to the Halifax Humane Society, the dog bit him in the hand and stomach. The officer had to seek medical treatment for his injuries.
