By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP – Managing Editor
An East Brewton resident appeared before the city council on Monday to defend her family and the East Brewton Police Department after allegations of a dog bite during a previous meeting.
Melissa Steadman, a resident of Ballard Street, is the neighbor of Georgia Murphy. Murphy appeared before the council on April 14 to register a complaint that her son was bitten by a dog and that the police department was slow in handling the matter. She said police never returned her calls to the department and that they never responded to the scene.
Steadman, owner of the dog, told the council she wanted to state her family's side of the story. She claimed that several of Murphy's remarks were inaccurate, including the severity of the bite, which she said was not a bite, but a scratch on the arm. She said she saw what happened from a window inside her house.
Murphy said that it took about one week for officials to pick up the dog to be quarantined. However, Steadman said her family was informed the following day by health department officials that the dog had to be quarantined.
Steadman added that several families in the neighborhood own dogs and that none of them have posed problems in the past. She said the situation concerning her dog was handled properly by authorities.
In other business the city council approved to enter into an agreement with the town of Riverview to provide fire service.
The town of Riverview will pay East Brewton $3,000 for the first five fire calls. Beginning with the sixth call, Riverview will have to pay $16 per hour for each firefighter and $8 per hour for each volunteer.
East Brewton will still serve as a back-up to the Dixonville Volunteer Fire Department.
The approval of the agreement will pend an agreement of jurisdiction between the two cities. Councilmember Bryan Palmer said it was important that East Brewton and Riverview are in agreement to where the fire service will begin and end.