BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – After a woman died from dog bites in Brevard County last week, the sheriff has announced that the dogs’ owner has been arrested.
The incident originally happened along Blue Bonnet Drive in Sharpes, where Sheriff Wayne Ivey said a pair of large dogs attacked the woman, identified as Jodi Cowan, 50.
“Cowan attempted to protect her own dog while running from the animals in an effort to keep from being attacked,” Ivey said. “But (she) was eventually overwhelmed and pulled to the ground.”
Eventually, Cowan’s spouse heard her screaming and came outside to stop the attack by swinging a knife at the dogs, Ivey added. However, Cowan was taken to a hospital, where she died just hours after the attack.
Afterward, detectives investigated the death, leading to the arrest of owner Linda Cutler, 29, whom Ivey said had taken “minimal action” to prevent her dogs from getting out of her yard, even after being cited by animal services numerous times in the past.
Cutler now faces a charge of manslaughter.
Ivey also addressed concerns that animal services hadn’t done enough to prevent the incident, as neighbors had called several times previously about the loose dogs.
“While you might think that animal services has the authority to seize dogs that routinely escape from yards, or that have even bitten someone, the unfortunate reality is they don’t,” Ivey explained. “In fact, even if a dog has previously bitten someone, and it’s not a severe bite, the most action our animal enforcement officers are allowed by law to take is the issuance of a citation and a fine.”
Furthermore, Ivey said that animal service calls related to Cutler’s home stem back to 2024.
“It’s also important to note that during the early calls from 2024 through November of ‘25, the calls at Cutler’s residence were related to other dogs, as the two dogs involved in this attack were puppies back then,” Ivey continued.
[RELATED: Florida neighbors say loose dogs reported to animal services before woman killed in street]
Ivey said that Cutler was arrested on Wednesday by Melbourne police, who responded to a Hilton hotel near the beach for a disturbance involving Cutler and others.
“Are you kidding? Folks, an innocent woman is dead, and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of this woman’s inactions and failure to be a responsible pet owner,” Ivey declared. “And she and her little honey are hanging out at the beach.”
Ivey added that during her arrest, Cutler feigned having a heart attack, though she was ultimately cleared into law enforcement custody.
Meanwhile, Cowan’s partner, Donnell Smith, told News 6 after Cowan’s death that he was friends with the dog owner, so he has mixed feelings about the degree of punishment he thinks his neighbor should face.
“Do I want her to rot in jail? No,” Smith said. “Do I want accountability? Yeah. There’s some other individuals that need to be looked at, some other entities that need to be looked at.”