The grand jury returned a true bill Jan. 31 against 27-year-old Elizabeth L. Waters, who was charged in November with harboring a vicious animal and second-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12 years of age on a Hopkins County warrant.
Waters' partner, 39-year-old Jeremy M. Hayes, was charged one day earlier with harboring a vicious animal in relation to the same event.
According to an arrest report written by Madisonville Police Department Officer Zac Render, the family pit bull attacked the child Nov. 12 inside the couple's Country Club Lane home.
The child's injuries were so severe, she required helicopter transport for emergency surgery, Render wrote. It was also not the first time the dog had attacked the child -- she had required medical attention once before when the dog bit her.
Waters was charged Nov. 22 and released the same day on a $1,000 cash bail bond.
According to court documents, the grand jury found enough probable cause to charge Waters with placing her daughter "in a situation in which (she) could have received serious physical injury" by a vicious animal.
Second-degree criminal abuse is a Class D felony punishable by one-five years in prison.
Waters' next court date has not yet been determined, according to the Hopkins County Jail website.
(The Messenger - Feb 7, 2017)
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