At a Glance
- Case Type
- Criminal Indictment
- Parties
- State of Texas v. Samuel Cartwright
- Jurisdiction
- Fort Bend County, Texas
- Date
- 2022-07-22
- Status
- Charged
- Amount
- $100,000 bond
Fort Bend County authorities arrested Samuel Cartwright, 47, of Fresno, Texas, on July 22, 2022, and charged him with attack by dog resulting in death, a second-degree felony, in connection with the fatal mauling of Freddy Garcia, 71, according to NBC News [1]. Garcia was walking to a neighborhood store on July 18 in the 4300 block of Mark Terrace Lane when seven of Cartwright's pit bull mixes attacked him without provocation [2][3]. He was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, where he was pronounced dead [7].
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, Fort Bend Animal Control, and the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office jointly conducted the investigation that identified Cartwright as the owner of all seven dogs [8]. All seven dogs, identified as pit bull mixes, were captured by sheriff's deputies and animal control officers in the hours following the attack [2]. Cartwright's bond was set at $100,000 [3].
The charge against Cartwright is grounded in Texas Health and Safety Code § 822.005, commonly known as Lillian's Law. In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed Lillian's Law, which holds owners accountable for serious injuries or death caused by their dogs; it is named after Lillian Stiles, who was attacked and killed by dogs [3]. To sustain a charge of attack by dog resulting in death, prosecutors must establish that the attack was unprovoked, occurred off the owner's property, and resulted in serious bodily injury or death, and must also prove that the owner was criminally negligent in failing to secure the animals [3]. If convicted of the second-degree felony, Cartwright faces two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, Fort Bend District Attorney Brian Middleton said at a press conference [2].
Middleton used the case to issue a direct warning to dog owners in the county. Middleton referenced the 2007 Texas law that holds a dog owner responsible for an attack if the owner acts with "criminal negligence" by failing to secure the dog or "knows the dog is a dangerous dog" [2]. Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan expressed condolences to the Garcia family and confirmed the dogs had been removed from the community to prevent further incidents [4].
The case draws renewed attention to owner-liability exposure under state dangerous-dog statutes and the criminal negligence standard that prosecutors must satisfy to secure a felony conviction. NBC News first reported Cartwright's arrest and the felony charge on July 24, 2022 [1]. No trial date has been publicly reported.
References
[1] NBC News. (2022, July 24). Texas man arrested after seven dogs fatally maul elderly man in unprovoked attack. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-man-arrested-seven-dogs-fatally-maul-elderly-man-unprovoked-atta-rcna39734
[2] Today.com / NBC News. (2022, July 25). Texas Man Arrested after Pack of Dogs Fatally Maul Elderly Man as He Walked to Store. https://www.today.com/news/news/texas-man-arrested-7-dogs-fatally-maul-elderly-man-rcna39765
[3] Texas District & County Attorneys Association. New dog-mauling statute tested. https://www.tdcaa.com/journal/new-dog-mauling-statute-tested/
[4] WHSV / Gray News. (2022, July 24). Police: Owner arrested after dogs maul 71-year-old man to death. https://www.whsv.com/2022/07/24/police-owner-arrested-after-dogs-maul-71-year-old-man-death/
[5] KHOU 11. (2022, July 23). Owner of pack of dogs that killed 71-year-old Fresno man arrested, FBCSO sheriff says. https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/arrest-made-after-dogs-kill-man-in-fort-bend-county/285-c7769731-05c3-4f69-9eac-61f5722cd498
[6] ABC13 / KTRK Houston. (2022, July 22). Deadly dog attack: Samuel Cartwright charged in connection to death of 71-year-old man killed by dogs in Fresno. https://abc13.com/amp/deadly-dog-attack-fresno-texas-man-mauled-pit-bulls-fort-bend-county/12067333/
[7] KWTX. (2022, July 22). Texas man charged after seven dogs attacked, killed elderly person. https://www.kwtx.com/2022/07/22/texas-man-charged-after-seven-pit-bulls-attacked-killed-elderly-person/