According to a Lincoln County Sheriff's release, deputies were dispatched to the area of the Ward Road/Plateau Road intersection around 6:30 p.m. Thursday when neighbors noticed a man driving a van and pulling a donkey behind the vehicle.
The donkey was tethered by a rope to the trailer hitch on the vehicle, deputies told WBTV.
When Sgt. Terry Posey arrived on the scene 68-year-old Richard Ricky Hudson, of Vale, was walking and leading the animal northbound on Plateau Road.
Deputies say a witness cared for the animal while Hudson was placed in custody.
Sgt. Posey checked the donkey for injuries and discovered the legs and rear portion of the animal had scrapes and bleeding. Scrape marks on the roadway indicated the animal could have been dragged more than 3/10th of a mile on the paved roadway.
Animal Services was contacted and placed the animal in a shelter. Hudson was charged with misdemeanor Conveying Animals in a Cruel Manner and released on a $4,000 secured bond.
(WBTV - April 28, 2013)