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Judge rules Grover Beach dog attack case can go to trial

Posted at 8:36 PM, Jul 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-19 23:36:50-04

A San Luis Obispo County judge decided Wednesday there is enough evidence to move the case of a deadly Grover Beach dog mauling to trial.

Judge Hugh Mullin’s decision brought cheers and then tears to many in the courtroom who were there to support victim David Fear’s family.

Wednesday’s hearing focused on what happened the day of the mauling, December 13, 2016.

Hours before the attack, Alex Geiger’s roommate told investigators she texted Geiger about a gap in the backyard fencing. She said she could see retired Exeter Police K9 Neo poking its head out.

The lead investigator on the case, Dr. Eric Anderson of SLO County Animal Services, testified Geiger came home and "pushed the wood back in place" but did not use tools to fix the fence.

When Neo, a Belgian Malinois, escaped along with a German Shepherd, a neighbor told investigators he saw both dogs "aggressively chasing a mail carrier."

Geiger’s defense attorney, John Jackson, pressed Dr. Anderson about why a "BB Gun and wooden object" found at the attack scene wasn’t processed as evidence immediately. Dr. Anderson said he "was not looking at it as specifically involved in the investigation."

Anderson stated Neo was euthanized and not checked for possible injuries. The dog has since been cremated.

Whether or not Fear used a weapon on the dog is sure to be a big question as this case proceeds. Geiger is set to be arraigned August 29.

Alex Geiger is facing two felony counts of failing to maintain control of a deadly or dangerous animal and a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter.