Marc Richard Saunders, 30, is charged with state jail felony Animal Cruelty.
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| Marc Richard Saunders |
The bizarre chain of events began when Saunders went to visit friends in New Caney around lunchtime and arrived just as someone called saying they found the family’s pet donkey, Susie Q.
The donkey had been wandering loose and the person who found her secured her on Acorn Hill Drive so the owner could go and get her. Another friend, who was staying with the family, was going to get Susie Q and walk her home, but he said Saunders insisted on driving and said they could tie the donkey to his trailer hitch and slowly lead her home.
The other man agreed, and the pair went to where Susie Q was tied. The second man sat on the open tailgate of Saunders’s black Chevy Blazer as they headed home with the donkey connected to the vehicle by a rope. At first, the man said Saunders drove slowly, and Susie Q was able to keep up. But then, he said Saunders sped up, and the donkey sat down, straightening her front legs to try and stop.
The man on the tailgate said he yelled and pleaded with Saunders to stop, but Saunders said it was “fine” and then increased his speed. The man on the tailgate said as he continued to yell to Saunders, helplessly watching the donkey being injured by the pavement, Susie Q fell over on her side and Saunders kept driving. The second man estimated Saunders’s speed at around 40 miles per hour as he dragged the donkey approximately one-quarter mile down Acorn Hill toward Pickering Road, but Morrow said it may have seemed faster because of the witness’s position.
The blood trail left by the donkey supported the witness’s story and showed Saunders drove at least 10 to 15 feet further after Susie Q fell on her side when the pavement had ground off her hooves between 1.5 and 2 inches, exposing raw flesh and bone.
When Saunders finally stopped, the witness said he walked to the back of the vehicle, and when he saw the bloody injured donkey Saunders unhooked her rope from the trailer hitch and fled the area.
After his arrest, Saunders claimed he never drove that fast while pulling Susie Q and left because he had to meet his daughter’s school bus.
Someone later reported seeing the donkey on the side of the road, believing she was struck by a vehicle. Deputy Morrow’s investigation soon revealed the truth and he found Saunders and took him into custody.
A veterinarian went to the scene and treated the injured donkey that was ultimately dragged home on a makeshift sled, unable to walk. The vet could not immediately say whether Susie Q would recover from the injuries.
The Precinct 4 Constable’s Office Livestock Division handles all livestock calls east of Interstate 45.
Chief Deputy Barry Welch said livestock deputies play an important role in the county.
“Fortunately, this extreme abuse was an unusual case,” Welch said. “But we do respond to abuse calls and neglect calls regularly, as well as the frequent traffic hazard calls when large animals get out on the road and are a danger to themselves and drivers.”
(Your Houston News - Oct 26, 2012)
