The Upper West Side owner of a pair of killer pit bulls involved in four grisly attacks is finally behind bars.
Joseph Columbus could be in the can until March 11, and have to pay $250 each day for flouting Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond’s June order directing him to turn over his dogs, Zooey and Rambo, to city authorities, court records show.
Columbus, 40 — who had repeatedly skipped court appearances in the case and once even fled the city sheriff in a high speed chase — was taken into custody at a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing Thursday, city Sheriff Anthony Miranda confirmed.
“He kept saying ‘I’m not going anywhere. Back off,’ ” said Lauren Block, the Upper West Sider whose two Shih Tzu mixes, Grover and Chuckie, were attacked by Zooey and Rambo in January.
Block, Devon Allen and Lauren Claus — whose 16-pound chihuahua, Penny, was also mauled by Rambo and Zooey — sued Columbus in May.
Block will receive any money Columbus pays in fines as restitution for nearly $22,000 in vet bills after Rambo and Zooey’s attack left her blind, 17-year-old Grover dead and seriously injured Chuckie. She said she’ll donate any money she gets to an animal shelter.
“I’m not super rich but it will make me feel good to do something in Grover’s honor because he was the sweetest dog I’ve ever met in my entire life,” she said.
“The whole neighborhood is very happy we finally got some conclusion,” said Karen Kramer, an Upper West Side dog walker who’s been following the case. “But we’ll be much happier when the dogs are surrendered and out of his possession.”
Columbus denied having Rambo and Zooey, according to the West Side Rag.
“I’ve got no dog to give,” Columbus, who claims that Rambo is in the custody of his cousin and that Zooey belongs to his ex-girlfriend, told the court, the outlet reported.
“I’m being treated worse than a murderer or a pedophile. I want my life to come back to normal.”
“The Court’s order and Mr. Columbus’ imprisonment is the culmination of months of hard work,” lawyer Mollie Swears, who represents Block and Claus, said in a statement.
He’s currently facing eviction from his grandmother’s Columbus Avenue apartment — where court records showed Rambo and Zooey were accused in March of another attack that prompted the victims to flee the building.
Neighbors told the West Side SpiritColumbus frequently yelled slurs at his dogs and locked them inside for days on end.
A lawyer for Columbus could not immediately be reached for comment.
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