Police: Puna man charged after his dog attacked a woman in Pāhoa

A Pāhoa man is facing charges after vicious dog attack left one woman hospitalized and another woman injured on Saturday.

The incident occurred around 4:50 p.m. According to Hawai‘i Island police, a 32-year-old woman and her dog were on her property on Bamboo Drive in the Ainaloa Estates subdivision in Pāhoa when a neighboring dog attacked her. The victim’s mother, age 52, reported that she was also bitten, possibly by another unknown dog, on her arm and shoulder area while trying to fend off the dog during the attack.

The 32-year-old woman suffered bite wounds to her arms, resulting in fractures to both arms, multiple puncture wounds, and lacerations. She was taken to Hilo Medical Center for treatment of her injuries, where she remains in stable condition.

Following the incident, a bystander successfully secured the dog to a post, enabling the County of Hawai‘i Animal Control Officers to take custody of the dog and transfer it to a secure location.

The property in question where the dog came from has a partially fenced yard, the dog was not secured, and was able to get beyond the property. Prior to this incident, authorities reported no previous reports or incidents involving the dogs being loose in the area of where the attack occurred. However, after additional inquiries and a more thorough search of police records, authorities discovered two previous possible cases involving the animal in this attack.

It has not been determined at this time what provoked the dog to attack the woman.

The dog’s owner, 51-year-old Frederick Kassebeer, turned himself into the Pāhoa Police Station on Sunday. He was charged with permitting dog to stray and negligent failure to control dangerous dog. He was released from police custody after posting $2,000 bail.

Police ask anyone with information on this incident to call the department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311. Members of the public wanting to report vicious dogs can call the department’s non-emergency number to report those incidents as well.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct charges.

Also, Hawai‘i Police Department reported at the time of the incident there were no prior reports involving this dog being loose in the area where the attack occurred. However, after several inquiries and a more thorough search of the police department’s records, it revealed two previous possible cases involving the animal that attacked the victim in this case.

After speaking with the victim since the attack, police say she remains adamant that she has never had any previous incidents with this dog.