A 26-year-old woman will spend more than a decade behind bars for breaking into a home, assaulting two individuals, and killing a family dog with a knife in April.
According to the Clinton County District Attorney’s Office, on Tuesday, Dec. 12, a judge sentenced Breanna Englert to 12 years in prison with parole eligibility after 3 1/2 years after she pleaded guilty in October to one count of criminal trespass, one count of terroristic threats, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of simple assault, one count of cruelty to animals, and one count of resisting arrest.
She does not qualify for any early release programs offered by the state.
In April, Englert invaded a home in the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue while under the influence of drugs, and she was confronted by the homeowners and a neighbor. According to the district attorney’s office, Englert then “attacked the homeowner’s dog with a knife and bit two of the victims.”
Following the attack, the two victims required medical treatment, and the dog suffered seizures and later died.
Englert was reportedly under supervision with the Clinton County Adult Probation Department during the home invasion.
District Attorney Dave Strouse sought a sentence of 25 years against Englert, stating in court, “Ms. Englert should thank her lucky stars that she is still alive today, because in many of the other homes in Clinton County that she could have broken into, she would have died that night.”
Englert has a criminal history dating back to 2019 and was previously convicted for simple assault.
According to the district attorney’s office, one of the victims, a retired schoolteacher, discussed Englert’s past with drug abuse and crime in court, stating, “You invited us into your world, we never invited you into ours. You broke into our house with a knife.”
The teacher continued, “If it wasn’t for our neighbors, I don’t know what would have happened. I truly believe our neighbors saved our lives that night.”
The retired schoolteacher reportedly said her grandchildren are now “traumatized” from the attack.
During sentencing, Englert cried in court and apologized to her victims. She requested the court let her undergo drug treatment programs, and she argued that her past with prescription drug and methamphetamine abuse were “the cause of her criminal history.”
Judge Michael Salisbury told Engler she needed a “severe object lesson.” Salisbury reportedly argued that any “lesser sentence would simply be an injustice and Englert would almost certainly re-offend.”