A mother in Ohio, United States was sentenced to at least 19 years in prison after her six-year-old son was brutally attacked by a Pit Bull while he was tied up and unable to defend himself. Angelina Williams, 28, was handed the sentence last week by Ashland County Common Pleas Court Judge Dave Stimpert, who told her she allowed her son to be treated like a “chew toy” for the dog, People reported.
Court documents revealed that Williams had restrained her son with handcuffs on his wrists and ankles as punishment for refusing to pick up dog waste with his bare hands. While she was tying him to a chair with rope, the boy fell to the floor and was savaged by a pit bull owned by the homeowner.
The dog clamped onto the child’s throat, causing deep cuts and severe bruising. The attack only ended when someone managed to pull the animal away.
Judge Stimpert, speaking at the sentencing, said: “That dog tried to rip out his throat. To see the pictures of the bruising around his eyes and his face from the force and the pressure that dog put on his throat, and then to see the wounds on his neck, I’m not sure that there are words that adequately describe it.”
After the attack, the homeowner, Robert Michalski Jr, fled the scene with the dog to prevent authorities from seizing the animal, according to the outlet.
Williams pleaded guilty in May to charges including kidnapping, obstruction of justice, possessing criminal tools and four counts of child endangerment. She will be credited for the 361 days she has already spent in custody since her arrest last August.
The horrific details first came to light during her initial court appearance in 2024. Prosecutors said Williams had taken her two children – the six-year-old boy and his eight-year-old sister – to the village of Savannah, where she used handcuffs and ropes to punish them. She even posted a photo of her daughter restrained on social media.
Appearing by video from jail, Williams admitted the facts of the case but questioned the judge over her $300,000 bond.
“I feel like that’s high. I feel like the dog’s not even my dog, the cuffs aren’t even my cuffs. I didn’t even know that the cuffs were illegal or anything was wrong with it,” she told the judge.
She added: “My uncle told me that it was OK and I never meant any harm, I really didn’t.”
Thankfully, the boy survived and has since made a full recovery. He and his sister are now living together with a legal guardian and are receiving the care and protection they need.
Michalski and another man, Taylor Marvin-Brown, said to be Williams’ lover, were also convicted on several charges connected to the case. They will be sentenced later this month.
Williams remains in Ashland County Jail but will soon be moved to the Ohio Reformatory for Women to begin her sentence.