Anza woman airlifted with “severe” injuries after mauled by 3 pit bulls, owner arrested

ANZA — A woman attacked by three dogs while reportedly hanging laundry on her own rural Anza property was airlifted in critical condition with injuries officials have described as “severe.” Images of the three dogs later released by Riverside County Animal Services showed one of the trio with blood stains covering its head and snout, and splashed across its chest.

The owner of the dogs that attacked the victim this afternoon, Saturday, Dec 15, was later arrested on an unrelated felony warrant and could face charges related to this morning’s attack, according to animal control and sheriff’s officials.

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The dogs involved in the attack are “pit bulls or pit bull mixes,” according to John Welsh, a spokesman for Riverside County Department of Animal Services. They have all been impounded at the agency’s San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. Because of the severity of the attack, animal control officials are already seeking to have the dogs euthanized.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to a property in the 55000 block Mitchell Rd. around 9:30 a.m., after receiving reports a woman severely mauled by three dogs. When officials arrived they determined the victim’s injuries were so severe she needed to be airlifted to an area trauma center.

Officials have not released the victim’s name or age and no updates regarding the full nature and extent of her injuries were immediately available.

Deputies who investigated this morning’s mauling quickly identified and located the owner of the dogs and determined he had an outstanding felony warrant for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.

Jail records indicate Jesse Leon Miranda, 61, of Anza, was subsequently booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta for his warrant. He remains in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail, and is scheduled to be seen at Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Dec. 19.

“This is another preventable attack on an innocent person and one we find very upsetting,” Riverside County Department of Animal Services Director Robert Miller later said of the mauling. “It’s imperative that owners of these types of dogs do everything in their power to prevent such horrific attacks.”

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Miller also strongly urged those who own dogs with what he described as “high prey drives” to secure their yards for the safety of their neighbors as well as their own pets.

There were reportedly no witnesses and investigators are still trying to determine why the attack happened. However, because of the “severity of the attack,” animal control officials have already said they will be seeking “a destruction order from an independent hearing officer.”

Deputies assigned to Riverside County Sheriff’s Hemet Station and Riverside County Department of Animal Services are investigating the mauling and their investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.