Alexandria Marie Hendon was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of probation this week for a 2024 dog mauling that cost a North Portland woman her left arm, her ear and part of her lips. Mytoka Petry, who was 47 at the time of the attack, told the judge the punishment felt nowhere near enough for what she lost.
The attack happened in July 2024 near Columbia Boulevard and Upland Drive, where approximately eight dogs set upon Petry near a homeless encampment, according to OregonLive. Petry's brother, Charles Petry, told police his sister had been visiting him at the encampment when the dogs turned on her. He waded into the chaos armed with a hammer, kicking and screaming at the animals until he managed to disperse them, the outlet reported.
Megan Pereira, who responded to Petry's screams for help, was also attacked while trying to come to her aid, Charles Petry later reported in an affidavit cited by the same source. By the time the dogs were driven off, Petry's left arm had been amputated because of her injuries, and her other arm was severely damaged. She also lost her ear and part of her lips in the mauling, per the outlet's reporting.
Guilty Pleas in Two Separate Cases
Hendon pleaded guilty to three charges of maintaining a dangerous dog in connection with the mauling. She also pleaded guilty to robbery in an unrelated case stemming from an attempted theft of dog collars from a Petco, the outlet reported. The dogs involved in the attack were euthanized, according to the same account.
Court records reviewed by the outlet show a conflict over how many dogs Hendon actually owned. The later OregonLive account states Hendon identified herself as the owner of five of the dogs, with Cierra Graham claiming ownership of the remaining three; Graham is set to go to trial in November. An earlier report from KATU, however, said Hendon told animal control at the time that she owned three of the dogs involved in the attack. Both figures come from the record as reported by each outlet.
Sentencing Terms and a Prohibition on Pets
As part of her sentence, Hendon must complete 180 hours of community service at an animal shelter and take a pet ownership class. She will not be allowed to possess any domestic animals during her three years of probation, the report notes. Hendon declined to make a statement in court and cried as the judge delivered her sentence, per the same account.
Prosecutor Benjamin Lull told the court there were no more serious charges that fit the crime, calling the case heartbreaking and saying it pointed to a need for legislative change. Lull noted that Hendon could have faced criminally negligent homicide charges had Petry died from her injuries, according to the report.
'I Just Want Some Accountability'
Petry addressed Judge Melvin Oden-Orr directly, telling him she felt the charges against Hendon were insufficient given what happened to her. “I just want some accountability, and those charges don't reflect that,” she said in court. She also told the judge she nearly had her leg amputated and now uses a walker to get around.
Petry described the sentence as gut-wrenching and said it did not feel like justice or closure. “I was a dancer,” she told the court. “All that is gone.” She said her family would never be the same because of the mauling.
