Source: http://www.thederrick.com/stories/01202005-4006.shtml
The Derrick and News Herald
Woman sentenced in dog attack case By HEATHER LESKANIC
The Clarion County resident was ordered to serve six days in jail in connection with the death of her granddaughter.
CLARION - A 62-year-old Lucinda area woman was sentenced Wednesday for her negligent conduct related to the 2003 dog-mauling death of her young granddaughter.Kathleen Hansen was ordered to serve six days in jail and pay a $5,000 fine as well as court costs.
The defendant - who was convicted by a Clarion County jury last year of misdemeanor dog law violations - will receive credit for the six days she already served in prison.
Judge James Arner said she will be placed on immediate parole status.
The mother of victim Lily Krajewski had written a letter to the judge asking for a prison sentence of two years, 10 months, and 18 days - Lily's age at the time of her death.
Lily's mother, Karen Krajewski, is Hansen's daughter.
The Krajewskis live out of state.
Hansen was found not guilty on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child following a two-day trial in Clarion.
Two mature rottweilers escaped from their kennel and attacked Lily as she played outside with Kathleen Hansen after her parents allowed her to stay at the Hansen home the morning of March 16, 2003, according to testimony.
Karen Krajewski testified there was an agreement before she and her husband, Gerald, left that Kathleen Hansen would not let Lily play outside because the dogs had escaped from a poorly-constructed kennel earlier that day.
The defendant has denied there was any such request from the Krajewskis and that she didn't believe the dogs to be dangerous.
Roger Hansen, Hansen's son, also lives at the house and owned the dogs.
He is also charged in the case and is expected to enter a plea next month.
Attorney Ralph Montana is representing him in court proceedings.
District Attorney Mark Aaron read a letter Karen Krajewski wrote to Arner.
Lily was "the most beautiful, happy person," she wrote. "Being her mother was a blessing."
She said her mother had the power to "secure the kennel with something other than duct tape and twine."
Karen Krajewski said the jail time she requested would allow Kathleen Hansen to contemplate her actions, which showed a "sheer lack of responsibility."
"She continues to think of herself as blameless," the letter said. "All of this should not be happening."
It also said Kathleen Hansen's mixed breed dog bit a woman last spring.
Defense attorney Wayne Hundertmark accused the prosecution of "rehashing lies."
"Mrs. Krajewski is not being honest," he said. "She wants to blame somebody to ease her pain. The dogs killed her daughter, not my client."
Kathleen Hansen told Arner she was "very, very sorry his happened."
She testified in her own defense at the trial that she did everything she could to protect Lily from the dogs during the attack.
The woman said she had jumped on top of the girl to protect her, covering her with her body.
She also tried to put her arms into the dogs' mouths in an effort to have them bite her instead and attempted to poke out one dog's eyes.
"I think about it every day," Kathleen Hansen said of the fatal attack.
Aaron said it was "an easily preventable tragedy."
He said he's shocked the defendant "has not offered one word of accountability or apology" to Lily's parents.
"There was never one word to ease the pain of the parents," he said.
Hundertmark said there was a no-contact provision as a bail condition.
Aaron later said there was no such provision in place between the time of the incident and the formal filing of criminal charges.
Hundertmark said his client continues to have the support of her religious community - the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
"Those members have been supportive of her," he said.
Kathleen Hansen said she is active in her ministry.
"It's the time I devote to others," she told Arner.
Arner said the defendant did "commit negligent conduct."
"It's not my job to compensate (the victim's parents) or to punish Kathleen for that immeasurable loss" they have expressed, he said.
The judge said he didn't believe Kathleen Hansen would benefit from additional jail time.
"I don't think it's necessary for her to do that," he said.
However, Arner said, the $5,000 fine shows "how serious our society considers this criminal activity."
"I believe our society considers dangerous dogs to be an extreme concern," he said. "And these dogs turned out to be dangerous."