Dog mauls 3-year-old at restaurant, Texas police say. Now the pet owner is charged

A pet owner was charged after her dog attacked a 3-year-old inside a Texas restaurant, authorities say.

Three-year-old Ronin Waldroup was waiting in line to order food with her parents at the Loose Caboose Restaurant in Spring when the pit bull mauled her on Jan. 9, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses recalled seeing the dog bite the girl’s face and shake her before being pulled away during the unprovoked attack, authorities say.

Then the dog’s owner left the restaurant and drove away with a man, despite the girl’s father and other customers telling the woman to wait for police, authorities say. But the father later provided the license plate information to investigators.

“You cannot leave. My daughter is bleeding in a restroom and you’re running down the road,’” James Waldroup, the girl’s father, recalled telling the dog owner, according to KTRK.

Ronin was taken to a local hospital by ambulance and received 14 stitches to her face. Ronin’s mother told authorities that plastic surgery will be required to repair disfigurement in the child’s face.

An anonymous tipster identified the dog’s owner as 46-year-old Jennifer Romano two days after the attack, and police tracked the license plate information to a man who admitted to leaving the restaurant with her, authorities say.

During the investigation, authorities learned Romano’s dog named Kingston had bitten two people within the past year, according to court documents. The dog was ordered to be euthanized last month.

Romano was charged Monday with felony injury to a child and tampering with physical evidence.

This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Dog mauls 3-year-old at restaurant, Texas police say. Now the pet owner is charged."