ROSEVILLE, Mich. – Charges were authorized Thursday morning for a 29-year-old man whose dog mauled his mother and her boyfriend Sunday evening in Roseville.
Robert Laughton is charged with two counts of harboring a vicious animal causing injury. Each count is a four-year felony.
According to police, the couple arrived home at about 9 p.m. Sunday in the 30000 block of Normal Street and were attacked by their son’s dog.
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Officers were met outside the home by 52-year-old Suzette Laughton who was covered in blood with severe bites to her arms, face and head. She told officers that the man was still in the home with the dog and that he had been attacked.
The 51-year-old man, Michael Mager, was lying unconscious on the living room floor and the dog would not allow authorities into the home. An officer banged on the back door, distracting the dog and allowing EMS to remove the victim. While authorities were attending to the man, the dog returned and a Taser was deployed on the animal.
Paramedics initially feared Mager would lose both arms from the injuries. An artery was severed during the attack and he lost the tops of both of his ears.
“Two of the officers that were there last night have 25-plus years on the job and both of them said they have never seen a scene as horrific as this, with as much blood and as much damage that had been done to this man in this attack,” Roseville police Chief James Berlin said.
A preliminary investigation found that the woman went to let the dog out of his crate and the dog attacked her. Her boyfriend came to her aid and the dog turned on him.
Suzette Laughton was taken to a local hospital and is listed in good condition. She is expected to be released in a few days.
Mager was airlifted to the University of Michigan Hospital. He underwent extensive surgery to repair the damage to his arms in the attack. He is listed in serious condition and will require several more surgeries.
The 29-year-old dog owner was ticketed for harboring a dangerous animal two weeks ago after his mother was bitten, according to police. The bite to her hand required 30 stitches.
The dog was euthanized Monday and tissue samples were sent to the lab to make sure the dog didn’t have any form of communicable disease.
“The owner of the dog, which is the couple’s son, was issued (a ticket) that time for harboring a vicious dog and having an unlicensed dog,” Berlin said.
Robert Laughton was arraigned at 39th District Court.