Homicide charges sought in pit-bull mauling death

KIOWA - Investigators plan to pursue negligent homicide charges against the owners of three pit bulls that mauled a woman to death, officials said Tuesday.

Elbert County sheriff’s officers are almost finished investigating the death of 40-year-old horse trainer Jennifer Brooke, who was killed Nov. 30 on her land southeast of Denver.

The Sheriff’s Office also plans to pursue charges of unlawful ownership of dangerous dogs against Jacqueline McCuen and her husband, William Gladney, said Jefferson County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Tallman, who is handling media relations for Elbert County.

Investigators hope to present evidence to the district attorney’s office this week or early next week, Tallman said. Prosecutors then will decide whether to file charges.

McCuen’s attorney, Denver defense lawyer Michael Andre, did not return an afterhours call seeking comment.

It was not clear whether Gladney has secured legal counsel.

McCuen was fined $165 when she lived in Aurora last year on citations that included breeding dogs without a permit, owning unlicensed dogs and owning too many dogs.

She already faces a misdemeanor charge of owning a vicious dog after a neighbor, Diana Nichols, was mauled in April by two of McCuen’s pit bulls in Elbert County.

The dogs that attacked Brooke — Eve, Baby and Face — also attacked Brooke’s companion and another man before the dogs were shot and killed.

The media attention surrounding Brooke’s death sparked increased reports of illegal pit bulls in Denver, one of five Colorado communities in which the animals are banned.