HORN LAKE, MS - An Eyewitness News investigation found that Andre Robinson's former neighbors in Horn Lake, Mississippi filed complaints about his dogs long before the animals mauled a 62-year-old woman in Cordova, Tennessee.
Horn Lake resident David Payne says he called the police several times last year after Robinson's dogs chewed through his fence and attacked his dogs. Payne says Robinson and his wife owned four adult pit bulls and nine puppies when they lived next to him in the 3800 block of Southbrook.
"Their pit bulls ran loose and got in my backyard on two occasions," he tells myEyewitnessNews.com. "I called police and animal control on both occasions. The second time they told me they were going to take him to court."
But before that happened, Payne says Robinson moved out of the neighborhood. He didn't know where he went until he saw the news reports about Helen Marshall's attack last week.
Investigators say Marshall was walking her dog at 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2009, in the 8600 block of Oak Trail Lane when she was attacked by Robinson's three pit bulls. She spent 17 hours in The MED's trauma center while doctors treated more than 50 bites to her hands and arms. Her dog Skye, also injured during the incident, is still at the animal hospital where veternarians are concerned about his wounds getting infected.
"I was very frustrated when I saw what happened to her," says Payne. "I was afraid something like that was going to happen to somebody here. We have kids around here. My wife wouldn't even go in the backyard. At one time, Robinson had shingles piled up in a corner and those dogs would look over the fence at us."
Andre Robinson has been in the Shelby County Jail since his arrest Saturday morning on aggravated assault charges. The judge, based on previous dog complaints from neighbors and Robinson's felony record for robbery and burglary, set his bond at $500,000. On his next court appearance, Robinson's attorney intends to ask for a lower bond.
"I don't think they should lower it," says David Payne. "They need to send a message to every dog owner that you can't just let your animals run loose like that."
Robinson's wife told news reporters that somebody broke into their garage and released the dogs. A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office says they received no report of any break-in at the Robinson's Cordova residence.
