The Animal Hearing Panel in Baltimore classified the two pit bulls as dangerous.

Their owner, Camree Hickerson, was required to take steps to keep the public safe.

Muzzle the dogs outdoors. Secure them behind proper fencing. Post “beware of dog” signs.

But on June 14, 2024, the dogs, Prince and Moe, broke loose and attacked three people in Mondawmin, fatally mauling Sheila Jones as she walked to the store. She was 54.

On Friday, Hickerson, 33, of Arbutus, pleaded guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court to involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in exchange for no additional incarceration.

Hickerson must spend five years on supervised probation and during that time cannot own any pets. She is also required to perform 50 hours of community service.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” said Hickerson, who wiped back tears as she stood next to her public defender John Deros.

Circuit Judge Nicole K. Barmore accepted the plea agreement at the urging of Jones’ daughter, who told prosecutors that she did not want to see Hickerson go to jail.

“It wasn’t at the hands of the defendant. It was at the hands of animals,” Barmore said. “But there was carelessness.”

At the same time, Barmore said, she believed that Hickerson was remorseful.

Pit bulls are not a specific breed. The term is instead used to refer to various mixed-breed dogs with muscular bodies and broad heads.

Nonprofit organizations that rescue pit bulls have long sought to refute stereotypes that they are aggressive.

Fatal dog attacks are rare. Dogs killed an average of 43 people each year from 2011 to 2021, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jones attended Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore and worked various jobs. She enjoyed fishing and crabbing, according to her obituary.

Assistant State’s Attorney Erin Godwin read a statement on behalf of Jones’ daughter, who expressed that she will forever carry the memory of her mother and believed what happened was a “bad accident.”

“She has been adamant throughout this that she does not want Ms. Hickerson to go to jail,” Godwin said.

Hickerson left the dogs in the backyard of a house on Ridgehill Avenue, Baltimore Police reported. But she neither lived there nor obtained permission from the homeowner.

Then they escaped.