A Colorado woman has been charged with criminal negligence after her elderly mother was attacked and killed by their dogs, according to Pueblo County, Colorado law enforcement.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that LaVonne Hoff, 76, was found unresponsive in a Colorado City home on Feb. 3. More than two dozen dogs were in cages in the home, as well as several dogs who were “running loose,” the statement said.
Hoff was declared dead at the scene; an autopsy revealed that she died from a dog attack.
Her daughter Jessica Hoff, 47, was arrested on March 21, according to Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office media information officer Gayle Perez.
Jessica Hoff had gone to Pueblo to run errands that day, according to the sheriff’s office statement, leaving her mother, who reportedly suffered from dementia and required 24-hour care, alone with the animals. The elderly woman was attacked by the dogs that were loose in the home.
When the Humane Society of Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) arrived at the scene of the attack, one dog was deceased, HSPPR public relations manager Cody Costra told NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister media, in an email on March 24.
After executing a search warrant on a second property in Colorado City owned by Jessica Hoff, deputies located a total of 54 dogs and seven birds. Both dogs and birds were found living in unsanitary conditions.
“It takes a while to conduct investigations and then it goes to the [District Attorney] for possible filing of charges so just that process takes a little bit of time,” Perez told NTD in an email on March 24 when asked about the more than 45 days between the discovery of the dead woman and her daughter’s arrest.
Jessica Hoff’s first court appearance is scheduled for March 27 at 1:15 p.m. She was charged with criminal negligence resulting in death to an at-risk adult and 54 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to the sheriff’s office.
Pueblo County District Attorney Kala Beauvais declined to comment on the case and told NTD in an email on March 24 that the office “should not release information to the public which might interfere with a fair trial” and that it “has an ethical obligation to avoid disseminating information that could have a likelihood of prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding.”
Costra said that 35 of the animals have been placed in adoptive homes, 14 were euthanized, and four were transferred to other organizations. The euthanized dogs were either involved in the attack or had severe medical conditions.
“There were a variety of breeds and mixed breeds,” Costra said. “Some were described as corgis, Parson Russells, boxer/bulldogs, King Charles Cavaliers, and Springer Spaniels. The birds were all lovebirds.”
“In complex situations like these, our collaboration with state and local law enforcement is critical and we’re grateful for their partnerships,” he said. “As a socially conscious shelter, HSPPR treats each animal as an individual. With an impound of this scale it requires a lot of work and resources for the organization.”
When asked if the organization had received prior calls from neighbors regarding the home, Costra replied, “Yes, we have responded to that address in the past.”
None of the creatures had been adopted by the Hoff family through the HSPPR, according to Costra, and several were in poor health.
Jessica Hoff’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
