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Vol. 1 - No. 32
Southeastern Burlington County’s News Leader
April 8-14, 2017
Deadly Dog Attack in LeisureTowne Prompts Concern
Southampton School Residents Plead For Help in Wake of Attack After Animal Control Officer Debacle Community Mourns After Student is Killed in ATV Crash
Nykolai Cunningham.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
PHOTO BY TOM WALKER A 16 pound Schnauzer mix named “Fredie” was bitten by a pit bull mix and was later euthanized due to his injuries. By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON— A deadly dog attack that occurred along Huntingdon Drive in Southampton has left several residents concerned about their safety, furious with the township, and grieving over the loss of a beloved pet. The Southampton Township Committee received an earful during their March 20 meeting. Concerned residents from the LeisureTowne active adult community, where the incident took place, questioned the township’s animal-control services and dog licensing enforcement process after a pit bull mix attacked a 16 pond Schnauzer mix named “Fredie.” The dog later died. “On Feb. 20, my dog was viciously attacked in LeisureTowne and it died,” said Susan Buckley, a resident of the LeisureTowne active adult community. “I had to euthanize him because of the situation. The dog that attacked my dog was not licensed. What is being done about it?”
Mayor James F. Young Sr. said the township contacted the Burlington County SPCA Humane Police (BCSPCA). Buckley attended the meeting after the township’s animal control officer did not respond to the incident. “We contacted the SPCA and they went out there,” Young said. “At the time, we were in the midst of changing animal control officers. They gave a report to Kathy Hoffman (Township Administrator and Clerk).” Buckley voiced her dissatisfaction with the BCSPCA’s findings. “I know,” she said. “They said it (the attacking dog) was a friendly dog.” Young said the township turned the matter over to the township’s zoning officer. “He sent a certified letter to the owners to come in and make sure the dog is registered and then, if not, have them come to court,” Young said. Hoffman said that the dog’s owners had until March 27 to get a license. “Okay, but the dog did not have a license,”
Buckley said. “Why has somebody not gone around and checked up on all of us who have dogs? I have a dog and it’s licensed. It has had all of its shots. Do we know if this dog had its shots? We don’t know, do we?” Young conceded that that the township was unaware of the attacking dog’s immunization status. “We really don’t know,” he said. “We asked them (the owners) for a record of a vaccination of the dog and I don’t think we got it yet.” Hoffman said the township receives that information during the licensing application process. “But according to the SPCA officer who went out to the property, the dog is a friendly dog,” she said. “That is what he said. The dog has his rabies certificate according to the SPCA officer who investigated it.” Buckley called the investigator’s findings “crap.” ‘That is all I can say,” she said. “It is not a friendly dog.”
DOG>>PAGE 19
SOUTHAMPTON— The New Jersey State Police are investigating a crash involving two all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) that killed a 14-yearold boy and injured two others. The incident happened at 3:06 p.m. on April 1 in the area of West Patty Bowker Road and Friendship Road in Southampton. State police say Nicholas (Nykolai) Cunningham, 14, of Southampton, was driving a Yamaha Rhino ATV off road with a 14-yearold male passenger when he lost control and struck a Kawasaki Prairie, which was driven by a 14-year-old male. Cunningham and his passenger were ejected from the ATV as a result of the collision. Cunningham was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger and the other driver were taken to Cooper Trauma Center in Camden with non-life-threatening injuries. All three teenagers involved in the collision were not wearing helmets. Troopers from the Red Lion Barracks, Troop “C” Criminal Investigations Office, Fatal Accident Unit and Crime Scene Unit responded to the crash. Authorities caution that the crash information they have provided is preliminary and the cause and circumstances are still under investigation. Cunningham was an eighth grader at Southampton Township School #3. “Our school community is in shock and disbelief over this tragic accident,” said Michael Harris, superintendent of schools for the Southampton Township School District. “Nick was a spirited and very energetic student.
CRASH>>PAGE 21
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