Two people have been arrested weeks after seven dogs escaped from a moving U-Haul truck and attacked residents in a northwest Charlotte neighborhood, leaving four people injured and prompting a lengthy investigation.
Rychelle Morrow, 44, and Rodney Morrow, 75, were booked into the Mecklenburg County jail on Sept. 16 in connection with the Aug. 26 attack on Claiborne Woods Road. Police allege the two were responsible for seven dogs involved in the incident and are accusing them of animal cruelty and other violations.
According to the charging affidavit, at least one of the Morrows was driving a U-Haul through the neighborhood when the vehicle went over a bump. The rear door opened, allowing all seven dogs to fall from the truck.
Investigators say the dogs immediately ran toward a woman in the area and began attacking her. Three other people were also injured as they tried to respond to the attack.
Three of the victims were hospitalized with extensive injuries. One of the women injured in the attack, Haley Wright, spent 10 days in the hospital and underwent two surgeries. She has since returned home but faces a long recovery.
Wright later described the attack as a life-changing experience, saying she continues to think about what happened. She suffered more than 100 bite wounds, according to her account, and is still recovering from the physical and emotional effects of the incident.
How the dogs ended up loose
The dogs had been riding in the back of the U-Haul when the rear door opened. Security-camera footage captured the animals coming out of the truck, although it initially was not known whether the dogs seen in the video were the same animals that attacked the residents.
Investigators later confirmed that they were.
Police allege the dogs were being transported in an unsafe and cruel manner. The charging documents also state that the animals were left behind after falling from the truck and that the owner did not return for them.
During the attack, a Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputy who was nearby responded after hearing people calling for help. One dog was stopped with a Taser, while another was shot and killed as the attack continued.
Animal control officers eventually captured the remaining dogs.
Dozens of charges filed
The Morrows each face multiple charges connected to the seven dogs.
The charges include seven counts each of animal abandonment, animal cruelty, failure to vaccinate and failure to display required rabies tags. Court records also indicate additional allegations connected to the dangerous-dog incident and the way the animals were transported.
Investigators said the dogs did not have active rabies vaccination records or rabies tags at the time of the incident. The animals also were not microchipped, which initially made it more difficult for authorities to identify their owners.
The records identify both Morrows as owners of the dogs, although the exact relationship between the two has not been established in the available court information.
Survivor faces a long recovery
For the people who were attacked, the consequences have continued long after the dogs were captured.
Wright said she initially believed the dogs were simply loose animals and did not realize they had fallen from a U-Haul. She went outside before the attack began and was then surrounded by the pack.
Her injuries required an extended hospital stay and multiple surgeries. She has since been released from the hospital and is learning to walk again as she continues her recovery.
The investigation also raised questions about why the dogs were being transported together in the truck and what happened immediately after they escaped.
The arrests provide a new development in a case that began with a chaotic attack on a residential street. The criminal procee
