Utah ranchers charged with 101 counts of animal cruelty

UTAH -- Deputies encountered a harrowing sight during a recent visit to a ranch near Spanish Forks - three horses buried in a shallow grave, several others so malnourished they couldn't stand, and another stuck in a fence and too weak to break free.

 

 

Now, the owners of the Smokey Mountain Ranch are facing jail time for what authorities say is severe neglect of about 100 horses living there.

Utah County Sheriff's office has arrested Trudy Childs, 59, and her son, Rory Childs, 31, on 101 counts of animal cruelty and 31 counts of livestock at large, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said.

 

 

Accompanied by a veterinarian, Utah County Sheriff's visited the ranch last week after getting a tip from a resident. Of about 100 horses on the ranch, five have died in recent weeks and about 12 others are "skin and bones, at death's doorstep," Cannon said. He said Trudy Childs has told them that 12 horses have died recently from starvation.

It's the first arrest for Rory Childs, but his mother has been previously charged with animal cruelty and more than 400 counts of livestock at large, Cannon said. Deputies have had regular contact with what he said has been a problematic ranch.

Rory Childs called the charges false and unfair, and said they'll fight them in court.

Trudy Childs

 

Rory Childs

"We've been doing everything we can to keep them fed and get them back healthy," Rory Childs said.

He said they're stuck in a legal dispute with a ranch near Ogden that was supposed to feed and take care of their horses in a contractual agreement they entered into. They are unable to sell the horses due to the ongoing case. He said the ranch wasn't feeding the horses, and that they got them back last fall in bad shape.

They've been in the business of horse breeding for about 30 years, he said, but were unable to do their annual sale of baby horses last fall due to the legal dispute. Without that money, they haven't been able to pay the $1,500 and $2,000 a week to feed all the horses, Rory Childs said. On their website, the Childs ask for donations to help feed the horses.

But Cannon said the Childs have made no effort to get help or sell the horses.

 

"It doesn't matter that they may not have the means to buy the food or the feed for the horses," Cannon said. "That doesn't absolve them of their responsibility."

Authorities have been giving the horses food and water. Cannon said it likely took about six months of consistent malnourishment for the 12 horses near death to get to that state. It will likely take the same amount of time for them to recover, if they do.

There was only one source of water for the horses, and they hadn't been drinking from it, Cannon said. The veterinarian said that's likely because the water was dirty or causing them to get sick, he said.

"We're not saying they weren't fed at all," Cannon said, "but were not getting fed enough."

Trudy and Rory Childs are scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 25, Cannon said.

(Standard.net - Feb 19, 2013)