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2 charged in Golden dog attack that killed woman, injured child

Kayla Mooney and Victor Bentley face multiple charges of unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog after the September incident.

GOLDEN, Colo. — Two people were charged following a deadly dog attack in Golden last month, the First Judicial District Attorney's Office said Monday.

Mary Gehring, 89, died due to the injuries she suffered in the attack involving two dogs, and her 12-year-old great-grandson suffered serious injuries.

Kayla Mooney faces the following charges, according to the DA's office:

  • Two counts of unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog - felony
  • Two counts of unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog - misdemeanor

Victor Bentley faces the following charges:

  • Unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog - felony
  • Unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog - misdemeanor

According to the arrest affidavit, Mooney is Gehring's grandaughter and the mother of the injured boy, and Bentley is her boyfriend.

Mooney owned one of the 7-year-old pit bulls and Bentley owned the other. Both said they had no reason to believe that either dog would attack anyone, and had no prior experiences with either dog to believe they were dangerous.

They are scheduled to appear in court at 10 a.m. on Nov. 22 for an advisement hearing.

>The video above is from September.

Officers responded just before 3:35 p.m. on Sept. 14 to the 15700 block of west 1st Drive for a report of an animal bite, the Golden Police Department said. Gehring and her grandson had been attacked by the dogs in a fenced-in backyard and were taken to the hospital.

When the first two officers arrived at the house, they saw blood outside and immediately went into the backyard, where, police said, two pit bulls were attacking the woman.

The officers challenged the dogs verbally before resorting to stun guns and less-lethal shotguns to separate the victim from the dogs, but every time the officers approached the woman, the dogs circled the officers. Less-lethal weapons were not effective, police said.

More officers came and managed to hold off the dogs while rescuing the woman from the backyard and taking her to paramedics inside the house. She was then taken to St. Anthony Hospital.

Golden Police said officers then helped the boy, who had been taken to a neighbor's house and had serious injuries. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital and then airlifted to Children's Hospital.

RELATED: 89-year-old woman dies after dog attack in Golden

Gehring died due to her injuries on Sept. 18, while the boy was eventually released from the hospital.

The two dogs were captured and taken to a veterinary hospital for evaluation and treatment. One of the dogs was euthanized due to injuries from the attack, and the other dog was also euthanized after the owners surrendered ownership to Foothills Animal Shelter.

The dogs "belong at the residence" where the attack occurred, but the question of who owned them had been under investigation. Police had received no prior complaints about the dogs and don't know yet what caused them to attack family members, said Golden Police spokesman Ben Salentine.

The City of Golden doesn't have dog breed ban laws. Residents are required to license and vaccinate their dogs, and that information was being verified for the two dogs involved in the attack, police said.

Jenifer Campbell-Hicks and Nate Lynn contributed to this story.

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