School board chairwoman's dog attacks, injures girl

<p>A pit bull that injured a 10-year-old girl after leaving the yard of the local school board chairwoman apparently belonged to the woman's sons, police said Tuesday.</p><p>Erica Thomas was riding her bike with another girl near her Jonesboro home Sunday afternoon when the pit bull terrier began chasing them, Clayton County Police Officer Thomas Edwards said.</p><p>Thomas told police she fell off her bike and the dog took hold of her leg.</p><p>Neighbors eventually chased the dog away. A witness then followed the dog to Clayton County Board of Education Chairwoman Nedra Ware's house and secured it in the backyard, where the witness says the gate was open.</p><p>The girl was hospitalized and received four staples in her leg and two in her arms to help heal bite wounds.</p><p>Ware was not at home at the time.</p><p>One of Ware's two sons went to animal control offices Tuesday and said he and his brother, 20-year-old Ryan Juwan Ware, own the dog.</p><p>Clayton County authorities had originally listed Nedra Ware's name on several misdemeanor citations _ which included not having a valid tag for the dog and having an animal creating a nuisance.</p><p>Clayton officials said he is expected to come to their offices on Wednesday and present proof of ownership. He will be cited for all charges in the case, they said.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2870600)</p><p>HASH(0x285a5e4)</p>