Man Arrested Nearly a Month After Teen Girl, 17, Was Mauled by More Than 10 ‘Large-Breed’ Dogs During a Jog

A California man was arrested nearly a month after a teenage girl was attacked by several dogs while jogging in his neighborhood.

On Wednesday, Aug. 13, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD) arrested Craig Arthur Simmons, 61, in connection with the attack. The Barstow Station said they had “conducted surveillance” on his home before making the arrest.

The arrest comes almost a month after a 17-year-old girl was mauled by more than 10 dogs in Newberry Springs on July 17. Her parents said she was out jogging when the “large-breed dogs” attacked her, according to authorities.

The teen has been identified locally, and through a GoFundMe campaign, as Tracy.

Before Simmons was arrested, police saw him riding a bike near his home. They questioned him, then took him into custody. He was later booked into the High Desert Detention Center.

Simmons is accused of breaking Code 399(B), “Owner of Animal Causing Serious Bodily Injury or Death,” according to SBCSD.

The SBCSD did not respond immediately to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Saturday, Aug. 16. It is unclear if Simmons has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

The SBCSD said last month that they learned about the attack around 9:52 a.m. local time on July 17. Police said the incident happened about two hours earlier.

The teen was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, and after talking with her parents, police learned the dogs bit her many times on her arms and legs. Authorities said the attack caused “large lacerations, abrasions and removed flesh.”

A witness rescued Tracy from the dogs. Police said the dogs were “not fenced or leashed at the time of the incident.” Later, the San Bernardino Animal Control seized 16 dogs from the area before a criminal investigation began.

At the time of the attack, Tracy was on her way to a workout facility near a local community center, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.

Her mother told ABC 7 she “never thought anything would happen to her,” but added she “couldn’t recognize” her daughter after the attack because she was covered in dirt.

Her stepfather, Carlos Ramirex, said, “What was going through my mind was the worst. It was not one dog or two dogs, it was a lot. They bit every part of her body you could think of except for her ankles.”

According to the GoFundMe page for Tracy, she has since been released from the hospital and was preparing for her senior year of high school.

The fundraiser said, “Now, because of this, she has to stay home and go to several doctors’ appointments and rehab. Due to the trauma, she cannot sleep at night; she’s having nightmares.”