Mayor, Little Boy Attacked By Pit Bulls

Saturday, July 28th 2007, 2:00 pm

By: News On 6

COVINGTON, Okla. (AP) _ A Garfield County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a pit bulldog that witnesses say attacked this town's mayor and a little boy during a rampage with another dog.

Mayor Jim Postier, who is also an animal control officer, was hospitalized Friday after the dogs knocked him over and he hit his head on the asphalt road, authorities said. Postier was flown by medical helicopter to St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, where he was treated for a cracked skull, his son, also named Jim Postier, said.

The boy who was menaced by the dogs was not injured.

An Arnett woman who was visiting a relative said she and her teenage children were held hostage behind a chain link fence for several hours while the dogs terrorized the area.

Denise Kibbe said a young boy, about 6 or 7 years old, was playing across the street when the dogs started running toward him. The boy tucked his knees under his body and put his hands over his head and sat still.

``He played dead,'' Kibbe said. ``All we could do was watch.''

Kibbe's aunt said she yelled at the boy to stand up and walk away, which he did.

``He was crying and scared to death,'' Kibbe said.

Jim Postier said he fought off the dogs with a long metal pole until his father regained consciousness and could be helped back into the younger Postier's pickup truck.

``I'm just glad I was there,'' Postier said. ``They would have killed him.'

When sheriff's deputies arrived, deputy Dennis Voth shot one dog three times in the head as it was coming toward him.

The dogs' owner, William Palmer, said his three children often played with the female dog, and she always had been a docile and friendly animal.

``She's never done this before,'' Palmer said. ``I've never had any problem.

Palmer said he wasn't angry at the lawman who shot his 7-year-old female dog.

``I would have done the same thing,'' he said. ``I'm angry that she bit somebody.''

Palmer said he plans to have the other male dog that participated in the attacks euthanized.

Undersheriff Jerry Niles said since Palmer was planning to put the other dog down voluntarily, deputies didn't take possession of the animal.