PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — The mother and son charged in a deadly dog attack had their first day in court Tuesday morning. The two appeared before a Circleville Municipal Court judge via video conference.
Adam and Susan Withers are charged with involuntary manslaughter and failure to restrain and vicious dog, both felonies.
According to an Ashville Police report, it happened the afternoon of Oct. 17 on Kildow Court in a condominium complex.
Susan and Adam Withers were arrested on Monday and charged with involuntary manslaughter and failure to restrain a vicious dog. The charges stemmed from the death of Jo Echelbarger.
Pickaway County Prosecutor Judy Wolford said Echelbarger was working in her flower beds in front of her home on Kildow Court in Ashville when she was attacked by two dogs.
Echelbarger suffered serious injuries from the attack and went into cardiac arrest on the way to Grant Medical Center. She was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.
When police arrived at the scene of the attack, an officer fatally shot one of the dogs after it became aggressive toward him, according to Wolford.
The other dog ran away, and later attacked and killed a dog near Teays Valley East Middle School.
Susan Seevers, a close friend and relative of Echelbarger was in the courtroom Tuesday morning. She was too upset to speak on camera but was unsettled by the Withers’ lack of remorse during their hearing. She recounted going to school and church with Echelbarger and called her “a very special person.”
Neighbors in the condominium complex did not speak on camera Tuesday, but questioned how something like Thursday’s dog attack was allowed to happen.
The dogs that committed the attack had been the subject of prior police reports. In October 2023, a report by the Pickaway County Dog Warden read that one of Withers’ dogs bit someone and killed another dog. It was then listed as a “dangerous dog.” Adam Withers was then required to register it as such with the county auditor, obtain insurance and follow guidelines outlined in the village code.
In December, Withers had failed to register the dog. By May, he still hadn’t obtained the proper documentation and was caught walking the dog without the required muzzle. Of the four cases since October that 10TV obtained from Circleville Municipal Court, two of them were dropped.
The attack was also a topic of Monday night’s village council meeting.
“To say I was shocked was an understatement,” said Village Mayor Steve Welsh, who new Echelbarger through her previous marriage. He was emotional during his comments. “I want to thank the fire department and police department for their lifesaving attempt to keep her alive, but during transport she passed away. The injuries were just too severe.”
Ashville currently has ordinances on the books regarding dogs roaming at large and dangerous dogs. The dangerous dogs ordinance leaves it up to the courts to decide if and when the dog should be removed from the owner and euthanized.
What else could be added or done was brought up at the meeting.
“We're going to be part of that discussion on if there's anything more the local government can do or if we need to ask state government to change Ohio Revised Code,” said Councilmember Colton Henson. “It just seemed like a laundry list of things that have been going on and you can't reverse it, but maybe try and look at policies to see if there's anything that can be done differently.”
Both Adam and Susan Withers were given a $500,000 cash surety or property bond, ordered to stay away from the victim’s family and witnesses, and ordered to not possess any dogs.
Susan Withers will be back in court for a preliminary hearing October 29 at 10:15 a.m. Adam Withers will be Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.