Dog Caretaker Gets 4 Years in Fatal Mauling
A dog caretaker has been sentenced to four years in prison for leaving a 100-pound mixed-breed pit bull unsupervised, allowing it to fatally maul a 10-year-old boy.
Judge Thomas Glasser said Friday that James Chiavetta, 54, has shown no remorse for his role in the April 2000 death of Cash Carson.
Chiavetta was convicted in May of involuntary manslaughter.
Cash and playmate Danny Gonzales encountered 100-pound Bear and Louise, a smaller mixed-breed pit bull, while walking toward the Newberry Springs property where Chiavetta was the caretaker for absentee owners. The dogs pounced on 66-pound Cash. Louise grabbed him first, but Bear inflicted the fatal neck wounds.
Defense attorney Robert O’Connor argued that his client, who has no prior criminal record, deserves probation, saying no good purpose will be served by a prison term.
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