Stolen pit bull 'viciously' attacks 4-year-old, two others

A stolen pit bull restrained only by a bungee cord seriously injured a 4-year-old boy, his mother and a family friend Sunday in Frederica. 

Roger Scarborough walked into a Jackson Street yard and stole a pit bull from a cage in a Frederica front yard Sunday afternoon, court documents said. 

With only a bungee cord around the dog's neck, Scarborough walked up Fifth Street, where a 4-year-old boy was on his bike. The dog "viciously attacked" the child, his mother and a family friend ran to save him, state police said. 

The 39-year-old mother and 35-year-old friend managed to free the boy, but not before they were injured. 

All three victims were admitted to the hospital, state police said. The boy was transferred to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital with deep tears on his right shoulder, face, the back of his neck and scalp.

His mother was treated for two open fractures on her left hand and a bite wound on her right leg. The family friend had several deep cuts on his right hand. 

After the attack, Scarborough put the dog back in the yard and hid in a shed, court documents revealed.

Police responded in January 2017 to a dog bite at the residence, where the pit bull lived, court documents said. 

Scarborough, 62, was arrested and charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of second-degree reckless endangering, third-degree criminal trespass and theft.

He was taken to the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of a $6,500 secured bond. 

The dog is quarantined at the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare, where the owner has to provide proof the dog was vaccinated against rabies. He will not be removed from quarantine for 10 days, the agency said. 

DOG ATTACKS:

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Contact Josephine Peterson at (302) 324-2856 or jhpeterson@delawareonline.com. Follow her @jopeterson93.