JACKSONVILLE, N.C., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A North Carolina couple are facing felony child abuse charges after a pit bull chewed off their 4-month-old son's toes, police say.
Sheriff's deputies in Onslow County have charged Robie Lynn Jenkins and her boyfriend, Tremayne Spillman, alleging they were taking care of the dog in their home early Monday, fell asleep and awoke to find the baby's toes missing, WWAY-TV, Wilmington, N.C., reported.
Authorities told the Jacksonville, N.C., Daily News Jenkins claimed she and Spillman were sleeping in the same room as their son and that the dog was unrestricted. She reportedly said she was taking medication and never heard the child cry, discovering the missing toes only when changing his diaper the next morning.
Sheriff Ed Brown said the child was taken to Pitt Memorial Hospital where doctors reportedly said the child may lose the rest of his left foot. Brown told the Daily News the dog belonged to Aaron Watkins, 36, who at the time was being held at the Onslow County Jail after being charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
