Citra man sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison in dog mauling death

[bigdoglover]

The Ledger

The Associated Press

OCALA, Fla.

A judge sentenced a man to 12 1/2 years in prison Thursday for the 2003 dog-mauling death of his elderly neighbor.

Robert Freeman of Citra was convicted in April of manslaughter with culpable negligence. He was also sentenced to 2 1/2 years probation, during which he is prohibited from owning any dogs or living in a home where dogs are present, and $5,000 in fines. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.

"There is no question that you knew or should have known of the dangers your dogs posed to those in your neighborhood. The situation would be no different than allowing grammar school children to play with loaded firearms, not once, but time and time again," 5th Circuit Judge Hale Stancil said.

Authorities said a group of seven mixed breed pit bull-Labrador dogs escaped and mauled 81-year-old Alice Broom in front of her Citra home in December 2003. Broom bled to death. The dogs were later euthanized.

Prosecutors argued during trial that Freeman's dogs were violent and had previously bit neighbors and mauled a dachshund.

Freeman apologized Thursday to Broom's family.

"I don't think he really thought his dogs were going to do anything," his attorney Candace Hawthorne said.