Milam County Grand Jury indicts 2 in dog mauling death
Rockdale, Tx (FOX 44) – A Milam County grand jury has indicted Terri Ann Frank and Joel Lee Rubio on charges related to the death of a woman mauled by dogs.
The 65-year-old Frank and 61-year-old Rubio had been arrested in April on the charges that stem from a December 18, 2024 death at a home on Beverly Drive, just outside the city of Rockdale in Milam County.
The indictment charges 'attack by dog resulting in death.'
Milam County deputies were called to that location at 1:11 p.m. that day and found the deceased woman, identified as 88-year-old Delores Woolverton.
Autopsy reports indicated the woman`s cause of death was by canine mauling.
Seven dogs located on the property at the time were removed and secured, with a justice of the peace later ordering they be euthanized.
Joel Rubio and Terri Ann Frank were arrested and booked into the Milam County Jail Monday morning. Both posted bail and were released mid-afternoon.
Investigators determined that at least one of the dogs involved had a prior history of an unprovoked attack against an ambulance employee, fulfilling the requirements of a dangerous dog as described under Lillian's Law.
Lillian's Law was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2007 and imposes criminal liability on a dog owner if the animal attacks and kills another person. The law was named for 76-year-old Lillian Stiles who died in 2005 after being attacked by several large dogs in her own front yard in Thorndale while she was mowing her lawn. Under the law, prosecutors must show that the dog's owners should have known the dog was dangerous.
Violation which leads to injury is a third-degree felony which means a conviction can result in a sentence of from two to ten years and up to a $10,000 fine. If the victim dies, the charge is bumped up to a second-degree felony bringing a sentence of up to twenty years.
The law was passed following a campaign by Lillian Stiles' family.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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