- April 18, 2024
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A 76-year-old Napoli Pizza driver was delivering pizza to a home on Perkins Lane in Palm Coast on Oct. 25 when the resident's 70-pound pit bull-boxer mix dog slipped out and mauled the driver, leaving him with severe facial lacerations that required emergency plastic surgery.
The incident happened at about 6:04 p.m. at 25 Perkins Lane, according to a Flagler County Sheriff's Office case report.
The resident, 39-year-old Jennifer Pepe, told deputies who arrived at the house that when she'd opened the door for the driver, her dog, a 5-year-old male named Charlie, had squeezed between her legs and jumped on the driver, attacking him. She said she wasn't sure if the dog's teeth had caused the injuries, or if they'd been caused by his claws.
She said Charlie had once been aggressive before — he bit another dog about three years ago — but that had been the only such incident, she said. She was able to show deputies proof of a rabies shot he'd received in July of this year.
When deputies arrived at the house, the victim was sitting on the front porch of the home with "multiple lacerations to his face," according to the case report, and Pepe was wiping up blood.
Flagler County Fire Rescue personnel on scene immediately told the arriving deputies that the victim would have to be taken to Halifax Hospital, which has a trauma center. From there, according to a commander's report entry, the victim was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for emergency plastic surgery.
Palm Coast Animal Control was notified and responded that an animal control officer would take a report the following morning. Pepe was ordered to keep Charlie on a 10-day quarantine during which he will not be permitted to go outside except as necessary for restroom purposes, and must then be leashed.
