(complete release from Prosecutor Ray Grogan’s Office)

Blake Bates

(10-4-25) Blake Bates pled guilty this week to one count of third-degree felony involuntary manslaughter in the devastating death of an infant, who was mauled by Bate’s pit bull on April 28, 2024, at his Miami Street home in the City of Marion.

The evidence showed Bates ignored warnings about the dog’s aggression after it previously attacked a neighborhood child. Months later, the vicious pit bull was left near the unsupervised infant, leading to the fatal attack that gripped the community and highlighted the dangers of negligent pet ownership.

Grogan and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark R. Weaver led the prosecution that brought about Bates’ guilty plea.

Grogan and Weaver will ask Common Pleas Court Judge Todd Anderson to sentence Bates to a maximum sentence that will appropriately punish Bates’ reckless disregard for this baby’s safety.

The case began when Bates was charged and warned by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Marion,OH dog warden following the pit bull’s earlier assault on another child, yet Bates failed to take adequate precautions. On the day of the dreadful mauling, Bates and co-defendant Alyssa Smith, left the infant unattended with only a young child nearby. That child was incapable of proper supervision. This lapse allowed the pit bull mix — known as “Kilo” — to grip and tear into the baby’s skull. Despite valiant efforts by officers Marion, Ohio Police Department, specifically Officer Caleb Rector, and EMTs, the child was pronounced dead at Marion General Hospital.

Authorities swiftly seized and euthanized the pit bull to eliminate the ongoing threat.

-Grogan said-

“This guilty plea holds Bates accountable for a preventable horror that stole an innocent baby’s life. Bates knew his pit bull was dangerous, yet he gambled with this baby’s safety – recklessness that demands severe consequences.”

Smith, who lived with Bates at the time, previously pleaded guilty to child endangering and awaits sentencing for her role in the baby’s death.

Grogan emphasized the broader responsibility every pet owner bears, especially when children are involved. The prosecution and investigative team detailed how the dog’s history of aggression should have prompted Bates to isolate it or rehome it, but instead, he permitted the animal’s presence around young children, resulting in the baby’s gruesome death. There were other pit bulls in the home at the time of the attack.

Bates now faces up to three years in prison for the manslaughter charge. He also faces sentencing for prior crimes, including a fourth-degree felony strangulation of a woman he was involved with and a third-degree felony escape attempt.

Grogan’s office worked closely with Marion Police Lt. Dylan Reese to gather evidence, including witness accounts and the dog’s behavioral history, building an airtight narrative of recklessness.

Grogan pointed out that this outcome not only honors the baby’s memory but also serves as a stark warning to dog owners across Marion County.

“Everyone is responsible for the dogs they own, and – for aggressive dogs – those owners must take extra precautions, especially around kids.”