Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Woman ‘rescued’ from pitbull has history of burglary, was in house without permission

The woman was attacked by a pit bull after entering a residence -- but why was she there in the first place?

The woman who was bitten by a dog while inside the home of another person without permission has a history of burglary and larceny. (Port City Daily/Courtesy Wilmington Police Department)
The woman who was bitten by a dog while inside the home of another person without permission has a history of burglary and larceny. (Port City Daily/Courtesy Wilmington Police Department)

WILMINGTON — Earlier this week, the Wilmington Police Department reported they had rescued a woman after she was attacked by a pitbull — but that’s not the whole story. The woman, who has a history of burglary and larceny, was apparently inside a home of another person without permission.

Mary Elizabeth Hinson, 31, was “rescued” by officers Wednesday night, according to the Wilmington Police Department (WPD). Officers arrived at the scene after a neighbor called the police to report being bitten by the dog.

“Officers responded to the 1200 block of Spofford Circle around 10 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor, who had also been bitten. Upon arrival, officers found the Pitbull standing aggressively over Mary Hinson, of Wilmington. Hinson was unconscious and had multiple bite wounds. Officers tased the pit bull, causing it to retreat, giving them the chance to extricate Hinson from the residence without further injury,” according to WPD Spokesperson Jennifer Dandron. 

The owner of the house where the dog resides is currently incarcerated, and according to her statement, Hinton did not have permission to be in her home. What exactly Hinson was doing inside the residence without permission is still under investigation, according to Dandron.

According to WPD records, Hinson has been arrested several times in the last two months, charged with burglary, theft and assault. Hinson also has several convictions for misdemeanor breaking and entering and theft.

What happened to the pit bull?

Several other dogs were located within the house and were taken into custody by New Hanover County Animal Services Unit.

“Anytime we have an incident like this where a dog is involved and someone is injured, we put the dogs on mandatory 10-day quarantine. But that quarantine can be done at the residence, at the home, if there are no outstanding other complaints against the dogs,” according to NHCSO Spokesperson Jerry Brewer.

The dogs were being cared for by the homeowner’s neighbor while she is incarcerated.

“In this case, the owner is in jail, and the dogs were being looked after by their neighbor. So we’ll do the quarantine here (at the New Hanover County Animal Services Unit) and then return them, and the neighbor will continue to take care of them,” Brewer said.

Animals taken by the Animal Services Unit are checked for rabies vaccination and for signs of neglect. According to Brewer, the dogs involved in this incident had appropriate rabies tags.


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