Cougar owner avoids charges for attack

PATASKALA, Ohio, July 26 (UPI) -- A Pataskala, Ohio, prosecutor said a woman will not be charged after her mountain lion attacked a caseworker and bit off part of the caseworker's finger.

Evelyn Shaw will not face charges for her pet mountain lion biting caseworker Cindy Robson during a June 25 evaluation of the safety of Shaw's home, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported.

"I didn't see anything improper about how this animal was kept," City Prosecutor Mike King said. "I don't know why you'd touch the cat. ... I just have a hard time finding that was part of her official function."

The 30-day quarantine on the mountain lion ended Wednesday. The case is considered closed, the newspaper said.