Woman chooses trial in animal cruelty case

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Candise Hauser passed up a plea deal that would've put sent her to prison for a year.  Instead, she's going to trial and risks an even longer sentence if convicted.

In March of 2014, Hauser -- who is not a licensed vet -- is accused of performing a C-section on Nadia, a pregnant Mastiff, without any anesthesia.

The dog died and Hauser was charged with aggravated animal cruelty. But this isn't a clear-cut case.

Sources close to the investigation say the woman who owned Nadia has made numerous conflicting statements as to what happened to her dog, calling her credibility into question.

But a jury trial can be risky.  Take the case of Thomas Huggins. He was convicted of strangling, suffocating and eating his mother's puppy -- the judge sent him to a mental facility for treatment.

"The reason I put it down was because it was getting bigger and like more aggressive I didn't have anybody I could sell it to," said Huggins.

Last month, a Polk County jury convicted a man of multiple counts of animal cruelty after deputies found 11 dogs chained to heavy logs. He got 20 years in prison.

And earlier this year, a Chihuahua named Dixie lost one eye and had several internal injuries after investigators say she was attacked by Arthur Jewell. They say he was angry at Dixie's owner so he took out on the dog. His trial is set for January.