A North Carolina woman was arrested and charged after she allegedly ordered her pit bull to maul her neighbor before the canine was fatally shot.
Per PEOPLE, the suspect, identified as Sheila Marie Hunter, 58, also has a rap sheet dating back 40 years. A copy of a magistrate’s order filed in Wake County District Court stated that the incident occurred at an apartment complex in Raleigh.
Prior to the dog attack, Hunter and her neighbor, identified as Eli Santos Blanco, had gotten into a dispute, authorities said. The victim is said to have sustained puncture wounds that were described as severe, and his injuries could have been even severe if a bystander had not gunned the dog down.
The charges brought against Hunter include assault with intent to cause great bodily harm, cruelty to animals, and intoxicated and disruptive behavior. Authorities filed the cruelty charge against Hunter because she allegedly failed to attend to her dog as well as render aid or assistance after it was shot.
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The charge of disruptive behavior was filed against her after Raleigh Police Department officers allegedly saw her “curse, shout at, [and] rudely insult others by … pointing at the subject and curssing [sic] at him calling him mother f—– several times during an investigation,” the order stated, per PEOPLE.
Hunter appeared before a court on September 15, and her bail was set at $30,000. Per the conditions of her bail, Hunter cannot get in touch with Blanco or own any animals. Her next court date was scheduled for October 6.
Hunter’s criminal history includes serving an over 12-year prison sentence. Prosecutors who handled that case described her as a “habitual felon.”
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