Three individuals have been charged with the endangerment of the welfare of a child following a neighbor’s dog dragging a toddler to the woods, where it attacked and killed her.
According to authorities, the dog attacked and mauled 2-year-old Celeste Jackson.
Earnest Jackson, 54, Christina Hart, 41, and Ma’Kayla Jackson, 21, have been arrested and charged with a felony as part of the investigation into the attack on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, Kristin Knox. Knox stated that she does not know the relationship between the suspects and Celeste. They all pleaded not guilty in Pulaski County District Court on Wednesday and remained in the Pulaski County Jail overnight. Their bonds were set at $10,000 for Earnest Jackson, $8,500 for Ma’Kayla Jackson, and $3,000 for Hart.
The suspects’ next court appearance is scheduled for October 7th. The deputies were dispatched to a Norman Road address for the report of an unresponsive child at 6:25 p.m. on March 28th, according to the case file.
A witness pointed deputies to Celeste in a van, on the floor beside the back seat, bleeding with cuts and bite marks. The deputies administered CPR until the Oak Grove Fire Department took over. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. The witness told the deputies that Celeste had been attacked by a dog and dragged into the woods, and the dog lived on a parallel street a few houses down.
The police stated that the dog was not enclosed in a fence or tied up. The dog is in the possession of the Pulaski County Animal Control Division.
Investigators found that Celeste had been left alone and wandered the streets for a long time before being found by an Amazon delivery driver, according to Earnest Jackson’s arrest report.
Detectives reviewed video from March 21st in which Celeste was seen outside the house alone for about 20 minutes before an Amazon van and the driver took her back.
The report states that the area is known as a high-crime one with numerous stray dogs. Celeste’s grandmother, Shawnda Jackson, created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
“Celeste was a very smart baby who brought so much joy to our lives,” the fundraiser page states, adding that she enjoyed watching Ms. Rachel, Bluey, and Stitch and that the family is grieving.
It is not known yet if the suspects have attorneys who could speak for them.
