Dogs owner charged with felony week after woman dies from being attacked in her yard in Chatham Co.
CHATHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man in Chatham County is facing a new charge in connection with a woman's death after she was attacked by three of his dogs.
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office said 84-year-old Betty Alston was found dead on Tuesday, May 19 in what investigators believe may have been a dog attack.
The dogs' owner, Dennis O'Keith Faulkner, 32, was charged the day after the attack with three misdemeanor counts each of allowing the animals to run around while unleashed and not having them vaccinated.
He was in court on Wednesday for these charges.
The sheriff's office confirms that Faulkner was charged on Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter, which is a felony. The sheriff's office said the new charge follows consultation with the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Chatham County District Attorney's Office.
The medical examiner ruled that Alston died because of injuries she sustained during an animal attack.
Faulkner was booked into the Chatham County Detention Center with no bond until a scheduled hearing in June on the involuntary manslaughter charge.
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies responded in December 2025 to calls about two different dogs that were unrelated to Alston's attack. During the visit, deputies said the owner received a verbal warning that year and was educated about county dog laws.
Deputies said there were no previous incidents involving the specific dogs tied to Alston's death.
Court documents identify the dogs as two Cane Corsos and a Bulldog mix. The dogs remain in the custody of the Chatham County Sheriff's Office.
