A Bend woman has accepted a plea deal after her dogs fatally mauled a former Silverton man to death in July and she faces up to 20 years in prison during sentencing later this month.
Jessica Rae McCleery, 38, pleaded guilty Thursday in Deschutes County Circuit Court to criminally negligent homicide and other charges for the July 19 death of Joe Keeton, 56.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 29 before Judge Wells Ashby. McCleery, whose legal last name is Charity, faces up to 10 years in prison on the homicide charge, and up to five years each on two additional counts of maintaining a dangerous dog that killed a person.
A charge of first-degree manslaughter was dismissed as part of a plea agreement, for which McCleery faced at least 10 years in prison. A Jan. 9, 2024, trial has also been canceled.
McCleery was indicted in September after her three pitbull/mastiff mix dogs attacked Keeton unprovoked during the late hours of July 18 and into the following day, according to police. He later died July 19 after being hospitalized.
The attack occurred at a homeless encampment where both Keeton and McCleery were living in a wilderness area northeast of Bend locally called “Dirt World.” Keeton had lived in Silverton for four years before moving to Bend a few months prior to the attack, and was a familiar face to local residents and social service providers.
Keeton’s friends and family held his funeral at Oak St. Church, in Silverton, and he was interred at Silverton Cemetery.
Prosecutors claimed McCleery was at fault for the attack because she left the dogs unsupervised despite their history of attacking people, some of whom required hospitalization, and killing animals. McCleery voluntarily surrendered the dogs to authorities after the attack and their fate will be determined in a separate civil process, according to prosecutors.
McCleery remained held in the Deschutes County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. A hearing next month to consider her potential release to live with a friend in Hawaii while the case is pending has been canceled.
