Dog Owners Charged in Fatal Attack on Child

The owners of a dog that attacked and killed an 8-year-old earlier this year have been criminally charged, prosecutors decided this week. 32-year-old Amanda Franco and 40-year-old Brandy Hodil have both been charged with felony evidence tampering after a Facebook account with relevant messages was deleted. Previously, Franco was merely charged with a second-degree misdemeanor for her role in the killing of 8-year-old Michael Millett by her dog on January 13th in the DeLand area. This would’ve landed her with a maximum of 60 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $500. This outcome was less than satisfactory both to Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood and State Attorney Will Scheiner. Both parties did previously agree, however, that the present laws limited their ability to prosecute further. “My role as a state attorney and as a prosecutor is not to make new law; it is to enforce the laws that are present,” Scheiner said. “I don’t get to interpret them. I have to enforce them, and unfortunately my hands are tied in this scenario, and that’s the only charge that can be filed.” “If you have a heartbeat, you have to say this isn’t right,” Chitwood added. “But the law has to catch up, and the way the law catches up is in Tallahassee. And again, I would implore people: Contact your representatives, contact your senators, and say this has to change. Because it’s going to happen again.” Now, both Franco and Hodil are facing a third-degree felony. This could significantly increase the potential ramifications they face for the attack. Franco is accused of having deleted her Facebook account while detectives with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, potentially to destroy relevant evidence. The pair are said to have discussed the dog having gotten loose on the night the attack happened. A search warrant for Hodil’s devices reportedly revealed to detectives that she too had looked up how to deactivate her own account. Hodil was arrested on Thursday on the evidence tampering charge. She was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on Friday after posting her $7,500 bond. As of Friday, Franco is still at-large. Prior to this arrest, Hodil had never been booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail. Franco has an extensive booking history, with charges including possession of heroin, meth, and cocaine plus aggravated battery with a deadly weapon among others.