LIMA — A local postal worker was honored by the Allen County commissioners Thursday for his role in saving an off-duty Lima Police officer from a dog attack.
Scott Eversole was delivering mail in the 900 block of North Elizabeth Street on Oct. 19 when he noticed two pit bulls playing in a yard. He was originally going to leave and complete delivering mail on that part of his route later when he noticed out of the corner of his eye a man leaving his house and going to his car. The man, Lima Police Patrolman Mark Link, was then attacked by the two dogs, who knocked him to the ground and began biting his face.
“I saw that they hit him and were going after him as hard as they could, and he was struggling to get back on his feet,” Eversole said. “It was then I went over with my bag, the best weapon I had, and I took it off my shoulder and began to swing it as hard as I could and knocked them off him enough for him to be able to jump on the car.”
A postal worker for 14 years, Eversole had received training in how to fend off dogs, and he had a can of “dog spray,” a chemical agent akin to pepper spray to fend off larger dogs. In this case, however, Eversole knew the spray was not an option.
“The spray wouldn’t have helped me in this situation because he was underneath the dogs,” he said. “If I had sprayed them, I could have possibly sprayed him, blinding him. If I would have needed help, we both would have been hurt, then.”
Eversole continued to swing until the dogs lost interest and moved away, and that’s when he said people began to call 911 for help. Link was taken to St. Rita’s Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
The dogs, owned by Patience Jackson of 999 N. Elizabeth St., were shot by police. They were later taken to the dog warden’s office, where they were killed. Jackson was cited for not having dog licenses.
After Eversole received a resolution of appreciation from the commissioners Thursday, Allen County Dog Warden Julie Shellhammer praised Eversole for his actions.
“Not everyone would have done what you did,” she told him. “I’m sure you saved that man’s life.”
Shellhammer also took the opportunity to remind the public that city ordinances state that only one pit bull is allowed per household.
“They can get a pack mentality and do things they normally wouldn’t do alone,” she said.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
