27/08/2012
Brittany Cortez will always remember her wedding day in part because of the scars she'll bear from it.
In an incredibly shocking incident, Joel Nevarez, a longtime friend with a history of mental issues, allegedly sicked his pit-bull mix on her at the reception and personally attacking her using a set of brass knuckles.
According to a police, Cortez and her new husband, Jorge Cortez-Trinidad, were celebrating with family and friends on August 12, at a home on Williams Street in Denver when Nevarez allegedly unleashed his pit-bull mix on Brittany.
The dog bit Cortez on the shoulder and back, causing wounds that required stitches, and physically dragged her on the ground by the hair. He also sunk his teeth into Cortez-Trinidad when he tried to get the dog to let go of her. Another wedding guest was bitten as well.
While this was going on, Nevarez allegedly punched Cortez while wearing brass knuckles.
What motivated Nevarez's actions? Cortez and Nevarez's sister, Monica Nevarez-Coronado, say he has a history of mental troubles serious enough to have required hospitalization. Moreover, his behavior has reportedly gotten more extreme and unstable in the past few years, during which he's had more than one run-in with the law.
In fact, he's got a December 17 court date set for an assault allegedly committed last year, and he was on probation for destruction of private property at the time of the wedding.
Cortez, a childhood friend who's said to have cared for Nevarez after he was released from the hospital, says she invited him to the wedding because she feared problems if she didn't. The assault left her understandably traumatized and Nevarez's sister is no less shaken. "I'm sleeping with my gun next to my nightstand because I am scared to just wake up and he's standing next to the bed," she said. "Who knows what he's capable of?"
Neither is his location known. He's currently wanted by Denver Police on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon -- a description that may refer to the dog, the brass knuckles or both. However, he remains at large and may have headed to Mexico, where his mother lives.