Henry County Animal Control has filed misdemeanor charges Wednesday in the case of a woman attacked by two dogs last week.

The owner of the dogs, Michael Thornton, was charged with two counts of failure to keep animals properly restrained, two counts of failure to display rabies vaccination, two counts of allowing animal to become a public nuisance and two counts of viscous animal.

Each charge has a maximum sentence of a 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was attacked Thursday by two “pit bull-type” dogs in the Windsong Plantation subdivision in Stockbridge while walking her own dogs. Her injuries were so extensive she had to be flown to Atlanta Medical Center, where she had emergency surgery.

Thornton’s dogs, which were later put down, were “roaming freely in the neighborhood,” when they attacked the woman, Sgt. Joey Smith with Henry County police told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

No criminal charges were filed in the case.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com