Guilty plea in Bell County fatal dog attack case

BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – The owner of two pit bulls that attacked and killed a Bell County woman last month has pleaded guilty.

Johnny Lankford appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to harboring a vicious animal. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Lankford entered the same plea on Wednesday and was sentenced to a year in jail, but the court determined after his appearance that he pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor instead of a
Class D misdemeanor, which shortened the sentence.

Lankford’s pit bulls attacked John Saylor and his wife, Lorraine, on Sunday, December 24, 2017  at their home in the Wiser Branch area of Bell County. John Saylor says the dogs attacked him when he went outside to find his wife. He shot both dogs. One died and the other ran off. He then found his wife near the house, suffering fatal wounds from an attack. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other dog returned to the home the next day and was shot by a sheriff’s deputy.

https://www.wtvq.com/2017/12/26/update-fatal-dog-attack-bell-county-leads-charges/

https://www.wtvq.com/2017/12/27/kentucky-man-mourns-wife-deadly-dog-attack/