6-year-old handcuffed by mom when dog attacks him, OH officials say. 3 convicted
Three people have been convicted after officials say a 6-year-old boy was handcuffed when a dog attacked him last year in Ohio.
Just after 5 p.m. Aug. 17, deputies were called to a home for reports of a 6-year-old boy who was bitten by a dog, according to an Aug. 20 news release from the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies arrived, they said the boy was in serious condition and was flown to a hospital.
Two days later, detectives learned the boy was handcuffed on his hands and feet when the dog attacked him, according to deputies.
When investigators searched the home, they found the dog and its owner hiding in a cubbyhole, deputies said. The dog was taken to be housed as a “vicious animal.”
The boy’s mother, her lover and the dog’s owner are accused of restraining the boy as a form of punishment, according to court documents.
McClatchy News is not naming the three people to protect the identity of the boy.
The boy and his sister experienced a “pattern of abuse” during which they were “periodically restrained” by handcuffs, according to a June 16 news release from the Ashland County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
On May 12, the boy’s mother pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, multiple counts of endangering children, obstructing justice, and possessing criminal tools, according to the prosecutor’s office. Her lover also pleaded guilty to the same charges.
The dog’s owner, who owns the home where the incident took place, was found guilty of complicity to commit endangering children on June 13, according to prosecutors.
The boy has recovered from his injuries and he and his sister are under the care of a legal custodian.
The boy’s mother is scheduled to be sentenced June 30, her lover is scheduled to be sentenced July 14 and the dog’s owner on July 21.
Ashland County is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Cleveland.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 12:40 PM with the headline "6-year-old handcuffed by mom when dog attacks him, OH officials say. 3 convicted."
