SPRINGFIELD, Ga. - A judge in Effingham County has appointed a lawyer to represent a pit bull dog accused of attacking a 5-year-old boy.
Superior Court Judge William E. Woodrum Jr. appointed Springfield attorney Claude M. Kicklighter to represent the dog, named Kno.
The Savannah Morning News reports (http://bit.ly/OsWVEW) that the judge appointed the lawyer for the dog "in the interest of justice."
The lawyer will represent the dog in what is essentially a death penalty case, since authorities are considering whether to euthanize the animal.
Kicklighter, who is not receiving a fee, was also ordered to represent the dog's owners.
Kno is accused of attacking Wesley Frye on July 24 while the child was playing with another child inside a neighbor's home. The boy underwent two surgeries after the attack.