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Criminal Penalties for Dog Bites

When dogs attack and inflict dog bite injuries, their owners can not only be sued in a court of law, but can oftentimes be punished criminally. The charge that the dog owner would face depends on the severity of the attack and the state or area where the dog bite attack or dog mauling occurred. Your Dog Bite Lawyer can work with you to collect monetary compensation in a civil suit against the dog owner or other responsible party, but the state in which you live can also press legal charges against them. The following are examples of actual prosecutions involving dog bites in the United States:

• Colorado. A woman was killed in her barn by pit bulls running at large in a pack. The same three dogs later attacked a neighbor of the woman; the dogs ended up being shot by the sheriff before they caused any more destruction. The owners pled not guilty to the charge of two class five felonies – keeping a dangerous dog and criminally negligent homicide. (Jennifer Brooke, Elbert County, Colorado).
• Indiana. A dog owner was charged with criminal recklessness when their pack of 18 dogs attacked and killed a census worker. The owners of the dog pack received three years in jail, and their insurance company paid out the maximum allowable award under the policy limits. (Dorothy Stewart, Brown County, Indiana).
• Kansas. A woman owned three dogs from the notoriously aggressive Rottweiler breed, and she trained them to protect her, even though she was never formally taught how to train dogs for protection. When two young neighbor boys were viciously attacked and one of them killed by a dog, the dog’s owner was the first person in the U.S. to be convicted of second degree murder as a result of a dog attack. (Kansas v. Sabine Davidson).
• Wisconsin. A woman and her boyfriend were charged with homicide and reckless endangerment after their child’s best friend was mauled and killed by the family’s pack of six Rottweiler dogs. (Alicia Clark, Elroy, Wisconsin).
• Wyoming. An abused and starving animal attacked and mauled a one year old child, killing it. The owners of the dog were charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony. The dog had been starved and was ravenous when it attacked the toddler. The charge of involuntary manslaughter in Wyoming carries a penalty of twenty years in jail and a $10,000 fine. (Kristen Jolley, Lovell, Wyoming).

These few examples are just the tip of the iceberg. The courts are beginning to develop a different attitude towards vicious dogs and dog bite attacks, due largely to the increased incidence of dog mauling. More and more courts are beginning to dole out harsher penalties for dog owners who harbor aggressive dogs, even if the attack occurs on the owner’s property.

DogBiteAccidentLawyer.Com can help you locate a Dog Bite Lawyer who can protect your rights as a victim of a dog bite attack. Never talk with the at-fault party’s insurer until you have consulted with a seasoned and experienced Dog Bite Lawyer first.