Monterey hearing considers euthanizing neighborhood dog after multiple attacks, owner contests claims

A hearing officer in Monterey heard conflicting testimony on Jan. 12, 2026 over whether a large dog called Bingo should be declared vicious and euthanized after multiple alleged attacks on people and pets.

Assistant City Attorney Karen Katley opened the city’s case, telling hearing officer Daisy Yep that under Monterey City Code, Chapter 6, section 31E the city seeks a determination that Bingo is vicious and an order for humane euthanasia. "The department's position is that Bingo is vicious and should be euthanized," Katley said, and the city asked the officer also to bar the dog’s owner from keeping any dog for 36 months and to require payment of impoundment and disposition costs.

The city presented several witnesses who testified to separate incidents. Leo Gomez, an investigator with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, said he was bitten on June 2, 2025 when he approached 101 Helm Street to serve a subpoena, suffered puncture wounds and bruising to his right thigh, and later received a course of rabies shots. "I had to undergo a series of six painful injections for the rabies shots," Gomez testified. He also said the residents at the property refused to provide proof of vaccination.

Monterey police Officer Austin Luke told the hearing he was bitten on June 11, 2025 while speaking with the homeowner outside the property. Luke said he was standing about 10 feet away when, as the owner secured the dog, the animal lunged across the street and latched onto his upper left thigh, producing multiple puncture wounds that he said could not be sutured and required recovery time.

Officer Brendan Diaz described a Dec. 31, 2025 call in which neighbors found a cat named Barbara dead in a yard across the street. Diaz testified that the animal had "two large lacerations" and signs consistent with an attack; he said neighbors at the scene identified the name "Bingo" as the nearby dog and that a side gate to the yard was buckled inward. Diaz noted he did not personally observe Bingo leave the owner’s property but documented the scene and took photographs.

Several neighbors testified to past incidents. Jack Cordier said that in 2023 his family recorded Bingo with a cat in its mouth; the cat (Grigree) later died despite veterinary care. Neighbor Stephanie Dominguez recounted finding Barbara dead Dec. 31 and said her daughter had heard someone calling, "Bingo, come here," at the time. Cordier told the hearing he was concerned for children and other pets in the neighborhood.

Monterey Police Lieutenant Jake Pinkis testified he hand‑delivered a notice of vicious‑dog status on June 12, 2025 after the more recent bite incidents and required licensing, proof of vaccination and muzzling off property. Pinkis said a May 2023 incident report involving a killed cat was located only after the department migrated to a new records system and that he had been unaware of it when the earlier notice was prepared.

Chief of Police David J. Hober, who said he had reviewed the reports and testimony, told the hearing that lesser remedies would not adequately protect public safety: "That dog is a beautiful dog. Unfortunately, it's not been properly trained. It's not been properly cared for. It's not been properly controlled," Hober said, adding that the combined incidents led him to conclude euthanasia was warranted.

Owner Albert Joseph Levante II spoke on his own behalf, identifying himself and disputing several points in the city’s presentation. Levante said Bingo has been trained to "love cats," that some incidents were provoked or could have other causes (he cited local raccoons and a prior mountain‑lion encounter with the dog), and he maintained the dog is typically leashed. "Bingo would never bite anybody unprovoked," Levante told the hearing, and he asked for additional time to gather evidence and footage he said might show the dog did not leave the property or that other animals were responsible.

The hearing officer heard closing statements and said she would not issue an immediate decision. "I will not be making a decision here today but I will be writing a written decision within the next 15 days," Daisy Yep told participants. The record remains the written exhibits, witness testimony and the photos the hearing officer received for consideration.

What happens next

The hearing officer will issue a written decision within about 15 days. If she finds by a preponderance of the evidence that Bingo meets the municipal definition of a vicious dog, she could order humane disposition and other conditions the city requested; the transcript and exhibits will be part of the record for any subsequent review.

Authorities cited at hearing

Monterey City Code, Chapter 6, section 31E (as cited by the city) defines a potentially dangerous dog; the city also referenced a separate provision it described during testimony when discussing the standard for a "vicious" dog.

Note on reporting and spelling

Names and titles below reflect the self‑identifications and spellings provided in the hearing record. The transcript contained inconsistent spellings for the owner and the police chief; this article uses the spellings the speakers provided when they identified themselves in testimony.