The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Court Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THREE men and a woman were charged with manslaughter in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the fatal dog mauling of a homeless man in late August.

Elvontae Richards, 20, Rashad Timothy, 28, Von Johnson, 37, and Vanria Richards, 39, all of Palm Tree Avenue and represented by attorney K Melvern Rolle stood before Senior Magistrate Derence A Rolle Davis. All four were charged with manslaughter.

It is alleged that in the early morning hours of August 27 in the area of East Street near the defendants’ residence, 61-year-old Anthony Swann was killed in a dog attack. The dogs involved in this incident are two black pit-bulls, one brown pit-bull and a brown potcake that the accused allegedly neglected to have properly contained on their premises.

Reports indicate that the homeless victim in this matter died of exsanguination (blood loss) and had injuries consistent with bite marks on his body.

While the accused faced an additional four charges relating to their alleged failure to keep their aggressive dogs contained on their property or licensed in accordance with the Ferocious Dog Act, these charges were stood down for another time.

None of the accused was required to enter a plea in court. They were informed that this matter would be fast tracked to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

The accused were further told that as the magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant them bail, they had the right to apply for it in the Supreme Court. Mr Rolle said he intended to make an emergency bail application on behalf of his clients. Until bail is granted, the accused will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. The VBIs are set for service on January 18, 2023.