Hawaii County urges state to stiffen penalties for negligent dog owners
By Jeremy Lee
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HILO, Hawaii (KITV) — On Hawaii Island, a county resolution will be heard next Wednesday morning that supporters hope will lead to stiffer penalties for dangerous dog owners who are negligent.
In Hawaii County, local laws on dangerous dogs are not supported by state law.
In the town of Ocean View, much like in front of some lots in the Puna district, roving dogs, or even those seen chained up outside of ramshackle lots, are quite common.
In the case of Robert Northrop in Ocean View, the 71-year-old died following an attack by a neighboring dog.
County council members thought that they had a viable ordinance in place that would charge those responsible with a felony.
“But when we talked to the prosecuting attorneys and asked what’s going on with this case, they said, well, actually, the state does not have a similar law, and so we’re not able to prosecute under this county law,” Council member Jenn Kagiwada told Island News.
Northrop’s daughter, Shannon Matson, says it has been frustrating to see the case of her father’s death languish.
“This has been extremely challenging for our family, and navigating grief during this time while also trying to navigate the system has been exhausting,” Matson said, “There’s just a certain amount of expectation you have when something like this happens that those responsible will be held accountable and we really feel like the county and the state have let us down in this regard.”
In the meantime, the county will hear a resolution to urge forward the bills in the state legislature. One is specific to dangerous dogs. The other would reinforce penalties pertaining to negligence.
“I put forward a resolution that basically says our county fully supports the state legislation changing their laws in order to catch up with ours,” Kagiwada said.
Both Matson and her sister testified in front of the council, advocating for the resolution.
“We’re still hoping that the prosecuting attorney for the county decides to bring some sort of charges in our father’s case. But what the state legislation will do is for future attacks, it will provide a means for families to get some justice and accountability,” Matson told Island News.
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