Man’s dogs attacked children in Calif. park, now the owner may be on the run

California City police say a man linked to a deadly dog attack, which left one child dead and another injured, has left his home and is likely “actively avoiding” police.

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Kenneth Dobbins, 68, is wanted on multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, after his dogs allegedly attacked a group of children in Central Park in California City earlier this month.

In a news release, California City police said they received a call at 6:07 p.m. on June 18 reporting the dog attack. The caller said a 12-year-old boy trying to evade the dogs jumped into Central Park Lake but didn’t resurface.

When first responders arrived, they found that child at the bottom of the lake. Although they pulled the child out within minutes and started CPR, he later died from his injuries at a hospital. Another child was hospitalized with significant but not life-threatening injuries due to the reported attack. Two other children at the scene were evaluated but not hospitalized. 

Officers actually spoke with Dobbins the day of the attack, who confirmed he was at the park, the release states. They photographed him along with the dogs at his condominium. But five days later, on June 23, police returned to arrest Dobbins at his home and found he had disappeared. One of his dogs was later found and seized by law enforcement. 

Police described Dobbins as “transient” with gray hair and brown eyes and said he is “actively avoiding contact with law enforcement.”

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Anyone with information about Dobbins and his whereabouts is encouraged to contact California City Police Lt. Shannon Hayes at [email protected] or at 760-373-8606.

On Tuesday, multiple people attended a vigil for the 12-year-old, including California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins. 

“There really, truly are no words you can say to comfort a mother or a parent. It’s just unfortunate,” Hawkins told KERO-TV. “In terms of changes, I just hope that owners of animals and pets will be more diligent and vigilant about making sure that the public is safe.”