Hernando County woman sentenced to 5 years for shooting dogs nearly 200 times with BB gun
SPRING HILL, Fla. - A Hernando County woman was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections for shooting her own dogs with a BB gun.
Jamie Lynn Kujawa was convicted of multiple counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty on Tuesday in connection to an incident involving her two dogs in 2022.
ORIGINAL STORY: Hernando woman shoots 2 dogs with BB gun nearly 200 times for trying to dig under fence, deputies say
On April 19, 2022, an animal enforcement officer with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in Spring Hill. A witness said he was working outside when he heard the sound of a BB gun being fired and the yelps of dogs being hit.
The witness told authorities he heard around 15 BB gunshots over the course of 30 to 45 minutes, according to HCSO. The animal enforcement officer met with Kujawa who initially said she didn't own a BB gun. He also asked for the dogs' vaccination records, which she couldn't provide.
The officer inspected her three dogs and noted various injuries and scarring on the feet and paws of each one. Kujawa told the officer the dogs had recently been in a fight.
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According to the sheriff's office, the officer saw that one of the dogs appeared in worse condition than the others, with various fresh puncture wounds to its paws and legs.
He left her with a verbal warning and told her to get the dogs vaccinated within 10 days. Throughout the week, the officer checked in on Kujawa, but she said she was unable to get the dogs vaccinated because she couldn't afford it; she said she wanted to surrender the dogs to the county.
She gave two of her three dogs to Hernando County Animal Services, and during an examination, a veterinarian found around 61 BBs and 19 lead pellets in one of the dog's legs, torso, and head, according to the sheriff's office.
Another x-ray on the second dog revealed around 71 BBs and 22 lead pellets in the same areas. HCSO reported a total of 173 projectiles were found in the two dogs.
Investigators said Kujawa used a gas-powered BB gun to shoot the dogs when they tried to dig underneath the property fence to get out of her yard. Deputies estimated this had been happening for about two months.
She was arrested and had the third dog, three cats, a ferret, and a bird removed from her home.