Two held to answer in machete attack on dog in Merced

Two men were ordered to stand trial Tuesday, accused of tying a dog to a fire hydrant, slashing it with machetes and leaving it for dead.

The trial order from Judge David W. Moranda came a day after one of the defendants, 46-year-old Myron L. Pattillo, pleaded guilty to a felony count of animal cruelty in connection with the May 1 attack at the corner of Conestoga Drive and Austin Avenue in Merced.

Pattillo has pleaded not guilty to the second charge in the case, a felony count of robbery. The Merced County District Attorney’s Office said the charge stems from the allegation that Pattillo and co-defendant Aaron W. Carney brandished the machetes to take the dog from the man who was walking it.

Thomas Pfeiff, Pattillo’s attorney, said his client was “disappointed” with the judge’s ruling on the robbery charge. Pfeiff said Pattillo pleaded guilty to animal cruelty “to take full responsibility” for the crime, but said the robbery charge was not warranted.

“Mr. Pattillo did not forcibly take the dog. It sounds like it was just handed over to him,” Pfeiff said. “There was no force.”

Thomas Min, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said Pattillo was holding a machete when he took the dog and that the victim had no other choice but to hand it over.

Carney, 29, has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

His attorney, Mark Johnson, also asked the judge to reduce his client’s $170,000 bail, arguing that Carney has no criminal history and ties to the community. The request was denied.

“This was a very emotional incident for everybody, and everybody involved would like to put it behind them,” Johnson said.

If convicted, both men face up to seven years in state prison, prosecutors have said.

Pattillo’s wife, Shon Oliver, has attended every court hearing since her husband’s arrest. She has said he wants to take responsibility for it and “knows what he did was wrong.”

She has also said the dog, a Siberian husky, had been a problem for their family before the incident and said she wished the owners had done more to control the animal beforehand.

She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Pattillo and Carney are due back in court June 3. Both men remain in custody at John Latorraca Correctional Facility on $170,000 bail each.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Two held to answer in machete attack on dog in Merced."