Fulton County woman sentenced to jail for dogs' violent mauling of young boys
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Fulton County woman will spend years in prison and under house arrest for the violent mauling of two young boys by her dogs.
The Fulton County Office of the Solicitor General says Charlotte Landy will serve eight years with one year in prison and three under house arrest after she was found guilty of eight counts of reckless conduct.
Officials say the charges stem from an incident on May 11, 2011 when two 8-year-old and 6-year-old brothers were riding their bike near Landy's home.
According to court records, Landy's two rottweilers escaped her unsecured fence and attacked the two boys. The boys were rescued by neighbors who heard the attack and rushed to help.
Thankfully, each boy survived, but had to receive over 200 stitches each.
According to officials, the rottweilers, that each weighed around 100 pounds, had escaped four times before and had previously attacked a construction worker at her home. After this attack, the dogs were put down.
"My heart goes out to the parents of our young victims and our heroic neighbors who wasted no time in springing into action when they heard the cries from the boys. Thank God everyone survived and they are now healing," Solicitor Keith E. Gammage said in a statement. "It is rare that we seek such a serious penalty however it was appropriate in this case. The message must get out that we are responsible for the proper care in housing our animals and we thank the Court for a sentence that speaks to the awful nature of this case."
After a three-day trial, jurors returned a unanimous verdict convicting Landy of the eight charges.
"This sentence sends a message that people have to be more responsible as dog owners when you own a dog that can cause serious injury to a human being," said Georgia Godfrey, the mother of the boys.