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The Santa Barbara Police Department said Tuesday that, thanks to help from the community, it has identified the dog owner wanted in connection with an incident in which a 5-year-old girl suffered a bite to her face earlier this month.
Police issued a photo Monday, published on Noozhawk, seeking the public’s help identifying the woman. Her name has not been released.
Sgt. Riley Harwood said the department’s Animal Control Unit is now continuing with a criminal investigation.
The girl was attacked by a dog, believed to be a red chow mix, about 8 p.m. July 5 at 909 State St., according to Harwood. She was not seriously injured.
He told Noozhawk that the incident occurred at a charity event. The girl’s family asked if it was OK for her to pet the dog, the woman said yes, and the dog later bit the girl.
The father caught up with the woman, who had walked away with her dog, to get her name and information about the dog — which turned out to be false, according to Harwood.
He said the girl’s mother later obtained the woman’s photo from someone who had attended the charity benefit and recognized the dog’s owner from a previous event.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton contributed to this report. Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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