PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — A mother and her son were indicted by a Pickaway County grand jury weeks after a 73-year-old woman was attacked by dogs.
According to the indictment, Susan and Adam Withers were each charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of confining, restraining and debarking dogs. The charges stemmed from the death of Jo Echelbarger.
Pickaway County Prosecutor Judy Wolford said on Oct. 17, Echelbarger was working in her flower beds in front of her home on Kildow Court in Ashville when she was attacked by two dogs.
Echelbarger suffered serious injuries from the attack and went into cardiac arrest on the way to Grant Medical Center. She was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.
When police arrived at the scene of the attack, an officer fatally shot one of the dogs after it became aggressive toward him, according to Wolford.
The other dog ran away, and later attacked and killed a dog near Teays Valley East Middle School.
The attacking dog returned to Kildow Court where it was also killed, but the prosecutor did not say whether an officer shot the dog.
Susan and Adam were arrested days after the incident.
The mother and son were booked on a $500,00 bond and ordered to not possess any dogs.
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