Police have charged a local man with violating town ordinances after his pitbull allegedly chased after two neighborhood children and a police officer.

Update 7/13/10:  A man who was charged July 1 with letting his pitbull chase after two neighborhood boys on their bicycles is being investigated by local police on another charge.  Hooksett Police Lt.Troy Cline said they’ve been called numerous times for dog complaints – most recent incident when the dog allegedly chased two 13 year-old boys on bikes, also chasing an arriving police officer.

According to the police log, officers arrested Sean Galeaz, 22, of 12 Virginia Court and charged him with criminal mischief. Police said Galeaz' mother called them, reporting her son was throwing furniture and acting out of control.

However, since then, police decided to drop the criminal mischief charge and pursue a more thorough investigation which could bring more serious charges via an arrest warrant, according to Police Capt. Paul Cecilio.

Cecilio said Galeaz' mother called police the night of July 8, but refused to press charges once her son, who lives with her, was brought to the police station.

Cecilio said a sergeant opted to release Galeaz without charges after he was booked in favor of opening a more thorough investigation that could result in new charges at a later date. Because no one was assaulted and police did not consider the incident domestic violence, officers were under no obligation to arrest Galeaz that night, Cecilio said.

One week earlier, on July 1, police charged Galeaz with violating town ordinances after his dog, which was identified by police as a pitbull, allegedly chased after two 13-year-old boys riding their bicycles on Virginia Court.

Galeaz was not arrested for that, but issued five citations for not properly caring for a menacing dog and one citation for creating a nuisance. Fines from the citations total $500. Galeaz has the option of contesting the fines in court, similar to a traffic ticket, police said.

After the dog was taken into custody by a Manchester animal control officer, it was expected to be returned to Galeaz' mother.

Cecilio said officers asked Galeaz if his most recent outburst was due to the news coverage of the pitbull incident, which was printed a day earlier before being picked up by other media outlets.  "He said it had nothing to do with that," Cecilio said.

Hooksett District Court records show Galeaz pleaded guilty in January to possession of a controlled substance.

Update: 8/27/10:  Upon further researching this case, it was discovered that On 12-10-09 at about 8:15 AM, Ofc. McMurray responded to a Belmont St. address to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance. On arrival he met with a woman who reported that her boyfriend had just left the address in his vehicle. She identified him as:  Sean Galeaz -21 years old - 12 Virginia Ct,Hooksett, NH.

According to the woman, he had been at her address the previous evening, knocking at the door and requesting to come inside. She refused him entry and told him she would call the police if he did not leave. He did leave, but returned to the address at about 8:00 AM that morning. He again knocked at the door and demanded entry but she would not open the door for him. He began banging and kicking at the door, causing significant damage to the door.

The dead bolt kept the door secure despite the heavy damage and eventually the male left. He came into the police station later that day and was placed under arrest for Criminal Mischief.

Reference: