Cambridge Springs man gets probationary sentence for February dog attack

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read
1

Dec. 6—A Cambridge Springs-area man will serve house arrest and probation for causing an unprovoked dog attack in February that left a woman injured and killed her dog.

William F. Bonecutter, 68, of 28185 Jouver Road, will serve a total of 18 months probation with the first 30 days to be house arrest/electronic monitoring plus pay $200 in fines and court costs. He had no previous criminal record.

In October, Bonecutter pleaded guilty in county court to a charge of dog attack causing serious injury or death filed by Pennsylvania State Police for a Feb. 8 incident along Jouver Road in Richmond Township. He also had pleaded guilty to one count of not keeping dogs in quarantine in a separate case by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.

Bonecutter was charged by state police after three Staffordshire Bull terrier-type dogs he owned attacked and injure a 68-year-old woman and also killed her pet chihuahua. The woman received more than 12 stitches to her arm and thigh areas at Meadville Medical Center due to her injuries.

Bonecutter, appearing in court Monday in a wheelchair due recovering from a motorcycle crash, was apologetic.

"I'm extremely sorry to what happened to Terry and her dog," he said, referencing the victim who was injured in the attack. The woman was not in court Monday. "I lost $1,500 worth of dogs," Bonecutter said, noting the three dogs he owned were put down.

Bonecutter's comments brought a sharp rebuke from Crawford County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Stevens in handing down the sentence, noting the issue was foreseeable as there was an apparent history of the dogs running loose.

"This was avoidable," Stevens said of the unprovoked attack. "If you couldn't keep them from doing this, you shouldn't have had them. There's no explanation that makes this okay. At that day and at that time, they were a weapon."

In handing down the sentence, Stevens noted Bonecutter will be allowed to keep the one remaining dog he has, but cannot acquire any more while on probation.

For the dog attack count, Bonecutter was sentenced to serve 18 months probation with the first 30 days house arrest/electronic monitoring plus pay a $100 fine and court costs.

Bonecutter was sentenced to serve 12 months probation for the dog quarantine violation plus pay a $100 fine and court costs.

Stevens ordered both probationary sentences be served at the same time.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.