Crime & Safety
Concord Man Faces Charges in Pit Bull Death
Preliminary hearing for Steven Hayashi in July 2010 death of his toddler step-grandson.
Bay City News Service
A preliminary hearing began in Martinez on Wednesday for a man whose pack of pit bulls attacked and killed his 2-year-old step-grandson in his home in Concord last July.
Steven Hayashi, 53, of Concord, has pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse, owning a vicious animal and an enhancement alleging that Hayashi allowed his step-grandson Jacob Bisbee to be in a situation that resulted in his death.
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The attack happened the morning of July 22, 2010, at Hayashi's home at 1785 Trailcreek Court, near Concord Boulevard.
Hayashi had left to play tennis with his teenage son, leaving Jacob and his brother with his wife, who was still asleep, prosecutor Mary Knox said.
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The door to the garage where three of Hayashi's five pit bulls were being kept usually was locked with a deadbolt, but Hayashi allegedly left without locking it, Knox said. He also left without waking his wife, the prosecutor said.
About 8:45 a.m., Jacob went into the garage and was attacked by the three dogs. The two other dogs were in the yard at the time and were not part of the attack, according to police.
Concord police officer Jim Nielsen testified Wednesday that when he arrived at the house that morning, he found Hayashi's wife giving CPR to a toddler. He said he took over until paramedics arrived, but never saw any sign that Jacob was alive.
The boy was taken to John Muir Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The Contra Costa County coroner's office found that he died from skull fractures and severe bleeding from multiple dog bites.
In a jailhouse interview the day after the attack, Hayashi acknowledged that one of his dogs, Kiwi, was aggressive and said that the dogs had killed a pet Chihuahua about a year earlier.
Knox, however, said that the dogs also had killed an Akita – a large dog that can weigh 70 to 100 pounds — as well as a pet parrot, and had shown signs of aggression toward Jacob and his brother.
Hayashi has said the dogs were supposed to be family pets and were not bred for fighting.
The preliminary hearing, which will allow a judge to decide whether there is enough evidence to bring Hayashi to trial on the charges, is being held in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez.
There might be testimony about who was responsible for watching the toddler that day.
