AUGUSTA — A Winthrop man must pay $1,616.72 for medical bills after his dog Buster bit a young boy on Morton Street in Winthrop.
Steven Long, 49, was ordered to pay that amount of restitution — the insurance deductible amount — after a judge found Long had kept a dangerous dog on April 17, 2016, the day the bite occurred. Long was ordered to pay $250 for that civil violation.
The order followed a half-day bench trial Wednesday at the Capital Judicial Center.
At the trial, Long, who represented himself, introduced into evidence photos of a smiling young child with one hand on the dog’s head as the boy is being held by a woman.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Alisa Ross, introduced into evidence a copy of a photo of a different child in a car seat — the one injured by the dog — with wounds evident on the boy’s bottom lip and nose.
As part of the judgment, Long was ordered to keep Buster “securely muzzled, restricted by a tether not more than 3 feet in length with a minimum tensile strength of 300 pounds and under the direct control of the dog’s owner or keeper whenever the dog is off the owner’s or keeper’s premises.”
The defendant also introduced as evidence a letter from his landlord that said she had never seen Long’s dog being aggressive.
Long also was found to have failed to vaccinate the dog against rabies and fined $100 for that offense. However, that fine was suspended entirely.
Included in the court’s file is a copy of a one-year rabies vaccination for 7-year-old Buster, whose predominant breed is listed as a “pit bull,” that was administered by a veterinarian on May 1, 2016.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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