Dog owner arrested after boy drowns fleeing pets at Kern County lake

Kenneth Dobbins, 68, was arrested in Lancaster after his dogs attacked two children, killing 12-year-old Fernando Torres Moreno. He faces involuntary manslaughter charges.

Kern County dog attack: owner held on manslaughter charge after boy, 12, drowns

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that a California man has been arrested after his three dogs attacked two children at a public park, driving a 12-year-old boy into a lake where he drowned.

Kenneth Dobbins, 68, was taken into custody in Lancaster on Thursday after a local resident spotted him near their workplace around 1 p.m. and alerted police, KBAK reported. Los Angeles Sheriff's Department deputies responded and detained Dobbins at the scene. California City Police Department officers then interviewed him before transporting him to the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility in Kern County.

Kern County jail records show Dobbins is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail. He was booked on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and negligent ownership of a mischievous animal causing serious bodily injury and/or death to another.

The incident took place on June 18, when California City Police responded shortly after 6 p.m. to a reported drowning at the lake in Central Park. Officers found the 12-year-old boy at the bottom of the lake, brought him to the surface and began CPR. A second minor at the scene was found suffering from serious, non-life-threatening bite injuries.

Paramedics from the Kern County Fire Department took over at the scene. The boy was transported to Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley hospital and later transferred to Children's Hospital in Bakersfield, where he died from his injuries. The girl was treated at Antelope Valley Medical Center and subsequently released.

According to police, Dobbins had been present in the park with his three dogs at the time of the attack. Officers spoke with him at Lakeshore Condominiums, where he told police he had been in the park with the animals. Police photographed his clothing and dogs, but did not arrest him at that point as the full extent of the victims' injuries was not yet known.

Investigators later identified Dobbins' dogs as those responsible for the attacks. When California City police returned to his home on Tuesday, they found he had fled. An arrest warrant was issued in connection with the boy's death and the attack on the girl. One of the dogs involved was subsequently located in Los Angeles County and seized. Police are continuing to search for the remaining animals.

The boy's family identified him as Fernando Torres Moreno. A GoFundMe campaign set up in his memory had raised more than $15,000. According to the fundraising page, Torres Moreno "was ready for a great day at the park with his friends and family, but tragedy took him from us too soon." He is survived by his mother, father, two brothers and two sisters.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)