Baby-Sitter Pleads Not Guilty in Pit Bull Mauling

A baby-sitter whose pit bull is blamed in the death of a 2-year-old girl pleaded not guilty Monday to child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter charges.

Jackie Star Batey’s public defender entered the plea in Riverside County Superior Court in Murrieta. She did not comment as she left the Southwest Justice Center with her husband and two supporters.

Batey, 30, was supervising Summer Clugston along with her four children and another child when the mauling occurred June 20, authorities said. Summer was attacked by the pit bull while she was playing in the frontyard of Batey’s home in Good Hope, near Perris.

Batey’s son tried to save Summer by kicking the animal until it freed the girl, authorities said, but she was pronounced dead at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.

Batey was released on her own recognizance after Judge Suzanne W. Knauf denied a prosecutor’s request for $65,000 bail.

Richard Blumenfeld, Batey’s public defender, said that Batey has no criminal history and needs to care for her children.

“This was obviously a terrible tragedy. It’s an aberration, considering her personal history,” Blumenfeld said. “There’s no reason other than celebrity and notoriety in this matter to justify taking her into custody.”

The Riverside County district attorney’s office has said there were reports of the pit bull’s hostility and that Batey was aware of the dog’s history. The animal was killed after the attack.

If convicted, Batey faces up to six years in state prison.