Just one week after a Gales Point resident went public with a terrifying story of being chased and bitten by a pack of dogs, a new twist has emerged. Crystal Slusher took to social media, warning others and pointing fingers at Manatee Lodge owner Nancy Bailey, claiming her dogs were behind the attack. But now, Bailey is speaking out, saying the story isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. She insists her dog, Steele, wasn’t the one who bit Slusher, and in a shocking claim, says he was killed despite being innocent. So, what really happened that night? News Five’s Britney Gordon has the latest.
A troubling video has surfaced showing a woman crashing her vehicle through the gates of a private residence. That driver has been identified as forty-four-year-old Crystal Slusher, the same woman who, just a day earlier, accused the homeowner, Nancy Bailey, of harboring dangerous dogs that she claims attacked her. But Bailey says she only owned one dog and insists it never bit Slusher.
Nancy Bailey, Owner, Manatee Lodge
“The dog should never have bitten the woman. But she was under the assumption that it was my dog and got very hostile and angry and I understand that she was upset because she got bitten, but apparently then she jumped in her vehicle with her daughter and started to race down the street and we are maybe a city block or more away from her house. So she built up a lot of speed if there were any dogs there. And you can see in the video that there were some puppies that were running through the gate away form her. Trying to get away away.”
The mystery deepens in Gales Point Village. Nancy Bailey, the homeowner at the center of a heated dog attack allegation, says she wasn’t even in Belize when it happened. According to her, a neighbor told Crystal Slusher that it was his dog, not hers, that bit her. But what happened next has only added fuel to the fire. Bailey’s own dog was later found dead nearby, with a broken spine.
“Apparently, at that time time she saw my rottweiler, who if he was hearing barking and commotion, would’ve definitely gone to go see what was happening. But he’s a friendly dog, so he would never run from the car because anytime if I come home, he runs out to the car and then brings me back home and he’ll run ahead of the car and look back, like to say, come on, let’s go. She admitted to the young man and the police because he went down with the police to apologize and tell her that he would cover her any expenses she had, medical expenses, anything like that. He felt very bad for what had happened. And then she admitted that she ran over my rottweiler with her vehicle and knocked him down and we found him dead in the yard.”
Crystal Slusher says the attack wasn’t just one bite, it was multiple. She claims she was bitten on her hip, arms, and thigh by a pack of dogs. And according to her, this wasn’t a surprise. Slusher says she’s been warning Nancy Bailey for years about the dangers these dogs posed and believes Bailey should take some responsibility for what happened.
Crystal Slusher, Gales Point Resident
“I just feel sorry, whoever is trying to take the blame because I don’t feel like it should be one person taking the blame. This one guy that’s my daughter’s cousin is trying to take the blame and I don’t feel like it’s all his fault. I feel like Miss Nancy needs to take responsibility for her consequences of what’s going on because they’ve been irresponsible with these animals for several years.”
Nancy Bailey, the homeowner accused of harboring dangerous dogs, says the claims made by Crystal Slusher are not only damaging her reputation, but also hurting the businesses of her neighbors and local tour guides. In a tight-knit community that depends on tourism, even a single allegation can have ripple effects.
“My neighbor called and said that he is getting calls from people that want to come and camp at his place, and they’re afraid to come because she’s making it sound like I have a pack of wild dogs that are trained to kill. That’s what she said on the one of the social media, what they sent me. And that is not the case at all. A rottweiler, what I had is a perimeter dog. We have the tip of the peninsula, so he makes sure that nobody comes from the front by, coming into the place. And he barks if he sees anything outside.”
Bailey’s dog was also a service animal to her, as she often struggled to walk through her yard. She says that while she sympathizes with Slusher, her dog was not responsible for her injuries and should not have died as a result.
Nancy Bailey
“I have a rottweiler who I had to have buried while I was gone, who was my company and my security and also my service animal to me. And so it’s a huge loss to me in that way. But it also, she was driving reckless down the street right through the gate and, then was slandering me all over the internet and put me on the news as that I don’t care And act as though I have trained vicious dogs that are roaming the village, looking for people to kill. And I love animal and I feel badly that she was bit by the dog, but enough is enough. It’s, it wasn’t even my dog. And I am very sad about the loss of my pet.”
While Nancy Bailey says she’d rather stay out of the spotlight, her son is ready to take action. He’s looking to press charges against Crystal Slusher, not just for the destruction of property, but also for the death of their family dog. Britney Gordon for News Five.
