By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
Testimony related to the July 2010 dog-mauling death of 5-year-old Kyle Holland will resume in Lincoln Park’s 25th District Court Oct. 7, continuing a preliminary examination which began Sept. 16.
Kyle’s mother, Debbralynn Holland, 29, and her boyfriend Earl Adkins, 35, are charged with felonies including manslaughter, owning a dangerous animal causing death and second-degree child abuse.
Prosecutors contend that the couple were negligent and did not protect the boy from the animal, believed by some to be a wolf-dog hybrid, a breed illegal to own in Michigan. The charges against Holland and Adkins are not dependent upon the dog’s breed.
During the Sept. 16 preliminary exam, testimony was heard from Wayne County Medical Examiner Dr. Carl Schmidt, who described more than 80 puncture wounds and 250 abrasions on the boy, whose chest was crushed during the attack, causing death.
Lincoln Park animal control officer Adam Manchester testified regarding previous encounters with the dog, which is being held in the Allen Park Animal Shelter.
Holland and Kyle moved in with Adkins to a home in the 1500 block of Empire Street 10 days prior to the attack. Adkins was further charged with marijuana possession when responding officers discovered 15 alleged pot plants in the basement.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected])