By Stephen Floyd
A Bend woman wanted for the fatal dog mauling of a former Silverton man has promised to appear in court if her warrant is quashed, despite past difficulties complying with court orders.
Jessica Rae Charity, 38, hand-delivered a letter to Deschutes County Circuit Court on Tuesday asking to clear a $100,000 warrant issued Sept. 15 for the death of Joe Keeton, 56.
Charity, who used the last name McCleery, criticized authorities for issuing the warrant rather than contacting her directly and described the legal system as “flawed” and “dysfunctional.” She said a better solution would be to set a court date so “all involved and effected(sic) can get answers, closure and as much as possible start moving on in our lives.”
“The fact that a warrant has to be placed causing someone to have to go to jail causes undue hassle and harm to them,” she said, claiming fewer public resources would be spent if she was simply given a date to appear.
As of press time, Charity remained at large and the warrant remained active. Our Town has reached out to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office for comment and did not hear back by press time.
She was indicted Sept. 15 for first-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the July 19 death of Keeton at a homeless encampment outside Bend where both were living. He was mauled to death by three dogs owned by Charity, which were taken into custody with Charity’s cooperation.
She was initially suspected of the crime of maintaining a dangerous dog and the case was referred to the DA’s office, who then filed more serious charges.
According to Measure 11, a charge of first-degree manslaughter requires a defendant be taken into custody and held on at least $50,000 bail.
A probation officer’s report from 2015 indicated the court has spent more resources attempting to get Charity to comply with its directives when she was out of custody.
That year she pleaded no contest to second-degree animal neglect along with husband John “Kevin” Charity for allegedly allowing harm to befall a female pitbull. She was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to possess no pets but continued owning and breeding pitbull/mastiff mixes, according to court records and social media posts.
The report, filed in an unrelated methamphetamine possession case, said Charity seemed “unconcerned” about violating court directives including the ban against pets and a no-contact order with her husband. The officer said incarceration was in the best interests of both Charity and the public, and her sentence was amended to include 30 days in jail.
