LONGVIEW, Texas — After an arrest was made in connection with a fatal dog attack in Longview, one neighbor in the area said Friday he hopes that more significant action can be taken this time.
Martin Gilbert Rodriguez is charged with attack by a dog causing death relating to the 46-year-old man who was found dead with dog bite wounds on Feb. 1 near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Rayburn St.
Now a month later, police identified Rodriguez as the owner of the dog.
Keri Davis, a chef at nearby restaurant Bel's Diner, said people didn't know if Rodriguez would be charged for the incident.
"We’re glad it happened. But as you’ve seen in the past, history shows that he got 10 years last time for a dog hurting someone, and those charges kind of floated and they let him go. So hopefully they keep him this time," Davis said.
Rodriguez was sentenced to ten years for another dog attack in 2021, but that sentence was suspended to just five years, and then the rest was served in probation. It’s not the only thing on his record though - he’s got a laundry list of previous charges, including 28 counts of having an animal at large.
Officials said animal control has tried to fix the issue, but there’s only so much they can do.
"Due to certain rules, they just can’t come out and take the dog, unless something happens like this happened. I’m just glad that they’re out doing their job. As far as that goes, we just hope the city holds it down and does their part this time," Davis said.
Speaking with people that work and live in the surrounding community, it’s not enough that he’s being punished again, this time they want to see the punishment stick.
"I mean this time hold the standard down you know, if you convict him, keep him, cause you’ve seen he’s just going to get out and do the same thing. Hold him to a charge where he can’t even own dogs anymore," Davis said. "Obviously he didn’t learn his lesson the first time, and it took for someone to die this time. So hopefully they hold his feet to the fire and keep him locked up."