Ronnie Epperson, 4550 Biffle Road, Newbern, Tennessee, was charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty by the Mississippi County, Arkansas Sheriff's Office.
Investigator Sgt. Preston Williams says Epperson poisoned three horses that belonged to a woman that Epperson had been seeing. He allegedly poisoned the horses after she reportedly broke off the relationship.
On May 1, Epperson went to Gable's residence at 4364 Highway 181 in Mississippi County, Arkansas to bring some potential horse buyers to look at a horse of Gable's.
According to the criminal complaint, while Gable and the buyer were finalizing the sale and loading the horse, Epperson was alone in the barn with her Tennessee Walking Horses.
The next morning, Gable went out to let the horses out of the barn and noticed one was down in its stall and two others appeared sick. A veterinarian and the sheriff's department deputy were dispatched to the scene. The horses' feed was checked and black granules were found.
Her daughter Ashley Farrell had owned Chism (pictured) for 5 years. She says, “he was my best friend.” One of the other horses named Sally arrived only two weeks prior. The third horse, Vengeance, was with Gable for 10 years.
Lab tests showed the contents from the feed bucket and the stomach contents of the horse both tested positive for Aldicarb, which is an insecticide found in the pesticide Temik.
Williams found witnesses during his investigation that stated they gave Temik to Epperson because he stated he was going to use it to kill coyotes around a deer stand. Those witnesses also reportedly stated Epperson commonly used Temik to kill animals that were a nuisance to him.
Williams worked with the Dyer County Sheriff's Dept. in investigating the case. Epperson turned himself in to authorities in Mississippi County this week and is being held there in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
Epperson is reportedly a farrier by trade and shoes horses throughout the Northwest Tennessee area.
COMMENT:
He's had a horse stomp the stuffing out of him about 8 years ago...
These aren't the only horses he's killed or mamed... A few years ago, he put a horse's eye out with a hammer, Hit a horse across the shin (deep gash) with a file, threw a horse into a barbed wire fence trying to shoe him(still scared)... People who call him to shoe or trim their horses can't be any better than him...
-- Posted by Elvin Patch on Tue, May 28, 2013, at 8:41 AM
(State Gazette - May 24, 2013)
