Dog bite attorneys highlight a particularly troubling dog bite case in Wisconsin involving a father accused of failing to help his son during a vicious dog attack. The man was found guilty on several counts, including false imprisonment, personal duty to aid a victim, substantial battery, and first-degree reckless injury.
The incident occurred in the small Fond du Lac County of Osceola, about 50 miles north of Milwaukee. On a Friday night, 18-year-old Joel Kennedy Jr. and his father, Joel Kennedy Sr., went to visit the home of 59-year-old Richard Lisko. Upon arriving, Lisko accused the younger Kennedy of stealing money, property, and over 100 morphine pills from the man’s rural home. Lisko claims Joel Jr. admitted breaking into his home at least five times and stealing thousands of dollars worth of property, while Joel Jr. denies ever stealing from Lisko, and has not been charged with any crime.
It was then that Lisko ordered his dog, a male pit bull, to attack the 18-year-old boy. The initial attack lasted only a few minutes. However, Lisko and Kennedy Sr. shockingly proceeded to lift the young man, tie a dog leash around his ankles, suspend him upside-down from porch rafters, and ordered the dog to attack again.
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Joel Jr. claims the dog attacked him continuously for two hours as his father and Lisko watched on. In the course of those two hours Lisko invited a friend, Harry Haack, over to his house. Haack arrived and demanded the men release Joel Jr. They complied and, eventually, law enforcement arrived and brought the young man to the hospital where he received stitches for the bite wounds. He suffered lacerations to his neck, ears, and scalp, as well as rope burns on his feet and ankles.
Lisko adamantly denies that he ordered the dog to attack – although he faced a trial last year on child abuse charges involving his dog – and claims his only crime was tying Kennedy Jr. to the post in a lapse of judgment. The dog, Bubba, is currently being held at the Fond du Lac County Humane Society.
Lisko was charged with false imprisonment, injury by negligent use of a dangerous weapon, and substantial battery. Joel Kennedy Sr. was convicted of the same felonies. Both men face more than 10 years in prison.
Kennedy Sr. claims that he was terrified of Lisko, and his fear prevented him from interfering with the attack. Lisko is allegedly a member of the Outlaw Bikers, and told Kennedy Sr. that his son needed to be taught a lesson.
Haack, the man who demanded the release of Joel Jr., claims that Bubba was a laid-back, friendly dog, and that he only attacked on command from Lisko. The2012 child abuse charges stem from allegations that Lisko repeatedly punched a child who was trying to protect his mother from Bubba’s attacks.
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Dog bite attorneys at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm warn the public of criminal dog owners such as Lisko. Many pit bulls are, unfortunately, owned by violent and vicious individuals. These owners train the dogs to attack on command, and to cause extreme harm and even death to those it targets. If you or someone you love was the victim of a similar dog bite attack, you have important legal rights, and should seek guidance of an attorney to ensure you that you receive the compensation you deserve.
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