Magisterial District Judge Carl Smith fined Juanita Bolthouse of Henry Holod Road, Lemon Twp., $750 and court costs for each of three cases along with $466.75 in restitution. He also barred her from keeping horses.
Two of the horses - a mare named Sky and her foal born in spring 2012 - were seized Sept. 14 from a farm belonging to Ms. Bolthouse.
Three humane society officers and two veterinarians testified Thursday about the condition of horses in Ms. Bolthouse's care in 2012.
Sandy Scala, a humane officer for the Endless Mountains Animal League, said she had seen a number of horses beginning in February after an anonymous call came in suggesting some horses had inadequate shelter during the freezing cold and there was a dead horse under a tarp behind a pickup.
Jack Ardrey Jr., a humane officer with the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals, testified he visited Ms. Bolthouse's farm March 21, and of eight horses, one was emaciated and another had a fungal growth known as rain rot.
Veterinarian Ellen Johnson with the Northeast Pennsylvania Equine Center in Thompson testified some of the seven horses there were suffering from malnutrition.
Ms. Bolthouse appeared without an attorney, and in cross-examination asked Dr. Johnson if she had ever had a conversation that maybe the animals were being poisoned, possibly by Ms. Bolthouse's neighbors.
Dr. Johnson said she recalled the conversation and told the judge, "I am not a toxicologist, but I personally don't believe there was any tampering."
Judge Smith told Ms. Bolthouse, "It's clear you don't have the money to properly care for horses, and if what you're saying is true, you should not even think about keeping them."
(The Times Tribune - June 21, 2013)
