Woman to plead guilty in dog mauling

The owner of four dogs that mauled a 65-year-old Las Vegas woman and her neighbor agreed to plead guilty Wednesday.

Jesse Vonstaden, 29, is expected to plead guilty to one count of negligent act in reckless disregard of safety of others resulting in substantial bodily harm in connection with last month’s mauling.

Vonstaden’s lawyer, Todd Leventhal, said he would ask for her release from the Clark County Detention Center later this month after she enters her plea. Vonstaden faces between one and five years in prison on the felony charge, but Leventhal said he would ask a judge to give her probation.

“It came down to a very reasonable negotiation,” Leventhal said. “I don’t believe she should be doing any prison or jail time, and this puts her in that position.”

A woman and her 69-year-old neighbor, Robert Sisterman, were attacked Feb. 20 morning in the 900 block of Looking Glass Lane, near the intersection of Bonanza Road and Sloan Lane.

Police said Vonstaden, who was originally charged with having dangerous or vicious dogs and willfully neglecting or disregarding the safety of people or property in the attack, had at least two previous complaints about the dogs. She was cited in November for having more than three dogs without a permit and for not having the animals vaccinated or sterilized.

Leventhal told Las Vegas Justice of the Peace that Vonstaden also would plead no contest to four misdemeanor charges related to the dogs.

Sisterman tried to help his neighbor with a baseball bat and stones and was bitten himself.

Both were taken to University Medical Center. The woman had tears to her face and both arms. She also had a broken arm, a broken leg, about 100 stitches and significant loss of muscle in her right arm, according to police.

Sisterman was bitten on the right hand and came out with 20 stitches and a cast, his wife Janice Sisterman said.

The woman who was attacked was not identified by family or authorities.

Metro and Animal Control officers formed a human barrier between the animals and the woman, who was being treated by firefighters, police said. One of the dogs charged officers and was killed. Clark County Animal Control took the other three.

Vonstaden arrived at her home shortly after the dog was shot and killed and she was arrested later that day.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker