UPDATE: Carly Rousso who was 18 when she crashed into a family killing a 5 year old girl in 2012 has been released from prison after serving 3.5 years of her 5 year sentence.
Highland Park - A teen-aged girl hit a group of people with her car killing a five-year-old girl. Years before, the driver had been a victim of a pit bull attack that left her with scars, and psychological problems which led to substance abuse.
Last week, Rousso, 18, was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound after a crash that killed a 5-year-old girl in Highland Park and injured her mother and two brothers.
On Tuesday — the same day the funeral was held for the girl, Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento — Rousso was briefly jailed before she was released on bond with a curfew and an agreement not to drive or consume any intoxicants. During a court appearance, her lawyer also revealed that she is receiving outpatient treatment, though he did not specify for what.
Carly Rousso said she was afraid to sleep. After the Highland Park teenager was attacked by a pit bull three years ago, she had frequent nightmares in which an animal — often a dog but always something with teeth — would attack her.
She switched schools; her grades fell. She reported hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, according to court records filed in a lawsuit against the pit bull's owner.
Court records reveal that Rousso has had past struggles with substance use and emotional problems that stretch back years. Her family claimed in a lawsuit against the pit bull owner responsible for her attack that the attack led to many of her troubles. She also was later cited for marijuana possession and as a result participated in a 12-step rehab program, court records show. The information gathered from court records reveals a more complex portrait of the woman charged in the Labor Day crash.
Through a family spokesman, Rousso's parents declined to comment about the pit bull attack or their daughter's past struggles.
On May 1, 2009, Rousso was visiting a friend's home in Highland Park when a pit bull her friend's brother was walking on a leash suddenly attacked her without provocation, according to the lawsuit.
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UPDATE Chicago Tribune Archive
Chicago Tribune
http://trib.in/1EP3mKm
Related posts:
Jun 26, 2009 Highland Park, Elgin consider restrictions on pit bulls
May 15, 2009 Highland Park Crumbles On Pit-Bull Ban Failing Victim
May 4, 2009 Highland Park Mulls Pit Bull Ban After Attack
Showing posts with label Highland Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Highland Park. Show all posts
Jun 26, 2009 Highland Park, Elgin consider restrictions on pit bulls
Two suburbs are considering restrictions on pit bulls after a 14-year-old girl was attacked by one, and a 6-pound Chihuahua was killed by two others.
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Longtime Elgin resident Pat DeMoss said she was attacked by a pit bull in 1999 near Gifford Elementary School and nearly lost her leg.
"If you stick your head in the sand on this, it is going to come back to bite you, and I don't mean that as a pun," she told council members.
By Robert Channick and Amanda Marrazzo
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Chicago Tribune Accessed: 2011-12-17. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/63zUFWx6i)
May 15, 2009 Highland Park Crumbles On Pit-Bull Ban Failing Victim
Highland Park - After pit bull advocates cried foul, Highland Park officials backed off a proposal to ban the breed from city limits while they research the issue for discussion in June.
Mayor Michael Belsky proposed the pit bull prohibition this month after a dog attacked a 14-year-old girl, leaving lacerations on her face and shoulder that were not life-threatening but required hundreds of stitches.
Read more:
Chicago Tribune
http://bit.ly/1GXUgM0
Mayor Michael Belsky proposed the pit bull prohibition this month after a dog attacked a 14-year-old girl, leaving lacerations on her face and shoulder that were not life-threatening but required hundreds of stitches.
Read more:
Chicago Tribune
http://bit.ly/1GXUgM0
May 4, 2009 Highland Park Mulls Pit Bull Ban After Attack
Highland Park - Mayor Michael Belsky called for a citywide ban on pit bulls today, three days after a 14-year-old girl was bitten on the face and arm, requiring hundreds of stitches, he said.
"I am very concerned about what happened," said Belsky, who said the child's injuries were not life-threatening.
"These are mercurial dogs, they are unpredictable and they are lethal," Belsky said. "I think we need to lead by example here, and maybe other communities will follow suit and create a groundswell, like the smoking ban."
by Lisa Black
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ChicagoBreakingNews Accessed: 2011-12-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64GELiWao)
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