A woman whose husband ran a dog-fighting ring out of their suburban Philadelphia home will serve prison time for failing to shield her children from the gruesome enterprise.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a judge sentenced 34-year-old Laura Acompora on Monday to 23 months behind bars.
Authorities say the children were exposed to grisly scenes including an animal being stomped to death by a group of men and a pit bull eating another dog. Three kids were living in the home.
"I would imagine any child that was in that house and heard those sounds would have nightmares," County Court Senior Judge Thomas Gavin said in court according to The Inquirer.
Acompora served 10 months before being released in October, when she pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and child endangerment, among other charges, according to the Inquirer. She will be eligible for parole in about 5 1/2 months.
Officials say Acompora's husband, Shane Santiago, was the ringleader of the fight club at their home in West Brandywine Township.
County Detective Matt Gordon told the Inquirer, officers found syringes, antibiotics and a medical stapler, which were used to treat the dog's wounds, when they searched the home last December. Electrical cables were also found in the home's basement and a dead newborn puppy was discovered in a trash bag in a garbage can, he said.
Santiago has also pleaded guilty in the case. He is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 17.
According to The Inky, Acompora expressed regret, but the judge could not dismiss the neglect she showed her children and the animals in her home.
"If you love your children, you're going to hold them and protect them," Gavin said. "Every animal deserves the same."
