Animal Matters Hearing Board Meeting - October 21, 2026

The Charles County Animal Matters Hearing Board convened on October 21, 2026, to hear animal control citations and complaints. The board considered two dog-bite citations involving English bulldogs, a commercial animal establishment licensing case involving online puppy sales, a neighbor complaint about dogs jumping a fence, and follow-up old business concerning a surrendered dog. It also discussed open-meeting requirements for future board discussions.

Preliminary Matters

• No written agenda or minutes were included in the source material. The board voted unanimously to deviate from the agenda and hear citations 7612 and 7613 first.

Citations 7612 and 7613 — Animal Control v. Lisa Marie Russell

• Officer Myra Taman (badge 533) testified that on September 1, 2026, at approximately 2:42 p.m., she responded to 7010 Silver Run Road in La Plata for a report that a 17-year-old had been bitten by a dog. Autumn Russell had a four-inch open laceration on her left leg with fatty tissue exposed, plus punctures to her left hand, wrist, forearm, and right hand.
• Autumn Russell testified that the family dog, Sunny, a black English bulldog, jumped on her, bit her upper thigh, and knocked her to the ground; the other dog, Tito, a gray English bulldog, joined in and bit her arm. She said the dogs had been with the family since about six weeks old and had bitten her before in what she considered playful, non-aggressive bites. She said the dogs are still in the home, she feels comfortable for now, and the family is trying to work with a trainer.
• Officer Taman testified that the victim's father reported Sunny had become increasingly aggressive with his two daughters over the previous month and that Tito became excited when Sunny was aggressive. The dogs had been neutered a few days before the incident. Taman followed up with Lisa Russell on September 4 and issued citation 7612 for Sunny and citation 7613 for Tito, each for no individual county license and for dangerous/vicious canine.
• Lisa Russell testified she was not home during the incident. She said the dogs are littermates, were not neutered until after the incident because the family planned to breed them, and that the family noticed increasing aggression related to testosterone. She described the dogs as calmer after neutering, said they are kept separate from the daughters when adults are not home, and said the family is working with trainers. She acknowledged not having county animal licenses.
• The board found Lisa Russell in violation of 230-10A (individual county license) and 230-12.5 (dangerous and/or vicious animal) for each citation. It imposed a $50 license fine on each citation, for a total of $100 payable within 30 days, and a $250 dangerous/vicious fine on each citation, held in abeyance for 12 months. Required abatements: E1, E3, E4, E5, E7, and E8.

Citation 7614 — Animal Control v. Dorenzo Gray Hines

• Officer Cheyenne Blue (badge 534) testified that on September 24, 2026, she responded to 13515 Havensbrook Drive in Waldorf after Dorenzo Hines posted multiple online listings of puppies for sale. She said Hines had been contacted in March and May 2026, given commercial animal establishment applications and 30-day notices, and continued to advertise litters. Hines acknowledged to her that puppies stayed at his residence for multiple days until sold. No application had been received. Exhibits showed Facebook advertisements during and after the notice periods.
• Hines testified that he is not breeding or boarding dogs for money, but acts as a broker, selling puppies and sometimes keeping them only about a day. He refused animal control entry to his home because he said there was no reason to enter and he had safety concerns, but he said he had no objection to welfare checks. He argued that county staff gave conflicting information, that calls were not returned, and that promised follow-up information was never emailed. He said he was willing to obtain a license but should not be fined because he did not receive clear direction.
• Chief Jeffrey Thomas (badge 526) and staff attorney Mark Potter explained the licensing and zoning framework. The commercial animal establishment definition includes sale, transfer, and boarding, and brokering is encompassed. For one to four animals, an animal control license applies; for five or more, zoning rules require conditions such as a minimum five-acre parcel in the RC zone and a special exception, which the property would not satisfy. Potter noted a current discrepancy between Chapter 230 and the zoning ordinance.
• The board found Dorenzo Hines in violation of 230-10C (commercial animal establishment license, breeding and boarding) and imposed a $250 fine held in abeyance for one year. The board instructed him to obtain an application from animal control and begin the process.

File 26-21 — Lester Diggs v. Kevin Reeder

• Lester Diggs testified that his neighbor Kevin Reeder's Cane Corso dogs are not controlled. He said a dog jumped his six-foot wooden fence and entered his backyard while he was present, and he worried about grandchildren who play there. The dog left after three attempts to jump back over the fence. Diggs said he filed the complaint in June and, by October, Reeder had not installed the promised taller fence.
• Kevin Reeder testified that he has two three-year-old Cane Corsos and a chihuahua; he said he had put down his older dog about two months earlier. He said a six-foot fence is the current height, getting a permit for a taller fence takes about seven months, and his remaining dogs cannot jump the fence. He recalled an animal control officer helping him bring a dog back into the yard.
• The board found Reeder not in violation of 230-12.4A (intimidating pedestrians or passersby) and 230-12.5A (vicious by nature, disposition, or propensity). The chair cautioned that if a dog entered the neighbor's yard again, it could be cited as an animal at large. The board told Diggs he had selected the wrong violation types on his complaint.

Old Business — File 26-15 — Hassan Gandal v. Esmeralda Jose Gonzalez

• The board revisited file 26-15, arising from a September 2, 2026 hearing. The written decision and order had not been signed when, the morning after the hearing, the dog was surrendered to animal control. The respondent had failed to appear, and the board had considered sending the failure to appear to the State's Attorney's office. Animal control confirmed the dog was surrendered and is no longer in county custody.
• It was also noted that the owners had contacted animal control and explained they mixed up the hearing date.
• The board voted to keep the underlying findings, dismiss the fines and abatements because the dog was surrendered, and not refer the failure to appear to the State's Attorney.

Other Business

• Citation 7655 (Animal Control v. Ricky Boswell) was voided and was not heard.
• Staff attorney Mark Potter said the Hines case highlighted inconsistencies between animal regulations and zoning rules and mentioned ongoing rules revisions. Sergeant Cooney asked for a board discussion/training session to align how members handle cases. Staff attorney advised that any meeting with a quorum must be open to the public and properly noticed, and could be held over Zoom. No session was scheduled.
• Next regular meeting: November 18, 2026.
• The board voted to adjourn.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous: Lisa Russell found in violation on citations 7612 and 7613; $50 license fine per citation, $250 dangerous/vicious fine per citation held in abeyance for 12 months; abatements E1, E3, E4, E5, E7, and E8.
• Unanimous: Dorenzo Hines found in violation of 230-10C; $250 fine held in abeyance for one year.
• Unanimous: Kevin Reeder found not in violation of 230-12.4A and 230-12.5A.
• Unanimous: In file 26-15, fines and abatements dismissed due to surrender of the dog; findings retained; no State's Attorney referral for failure to appear.
• Citation 7655 voided.