Woman blames ex-husband for dead and dying horses on her property

TEXAS -- A New Caney woman, Kimberly Ann Adams, 50, is facing five counts of animal cruelty related to the alleged neglect of 18 horses at her property in the 17200 block of North Crest Circle.

On Jan. 31, livestock deputies with the Montgomery County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office and an animal control officer conducted an animal cruelty investigation after receiving a report of neglected livestock and dogs at Adams’ home.

Inside Adams’ barn, the deputies reportedly found one dead horse; two other dead horses were outside. All three were in advanced stages of decomposition and emitting a foul odor.

Adams reportedly told deputies the two horses in the pasture died in October, while the horse in the barn died in December, and she believed her ex-husband poisoned them. When asked if Adams had a veterinarian check the horses, she said she only spoke to one by phone and had not contacted someone to bury the remains because she did not want her ex-husband to find out about the horses and somehow use them as a deduction when he filed his tax return.

According to a statement from Montgomery County Pct. 4, deputies allegedly found the remaining 15 horses, including three colts, were in poor condition from lack of food and care. The horses had chewed much of the wood fencing, with entire boards missing in some places. There was hardly any grass left on the eight or so acres, leaving the horses on mostly just dirt, and deputies witnessed one eating another horse’s manure. Adams stated she purchased food for the horses during the few days prior, but only a few empty feed sacks were found in the barn.

She was given a short amount of time to comply. When she failed to do so, deputies returned with representatives from the SPCA and removed the surviving horses.

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, a hearing was held in Montgomery County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts’ court to determine whether Adams would retain ownership of the horses or lose them permanently, as requested by the county attorney’s office.

Metts heard the lengthy case that began in the morning and went into the early afternoon, with Adams claiming she properly fed and cared for the horses and believed their decline was due to poisoning by her ex-husband. Her two early teenage children were called upon to testify. Adams represented herself and questioned law enforcement and the veterinarian speaking on behalf of the SPCA. After he said it would be unusual for a veterinarian to diagnose and provide treatment for horses based on a phone conversation as she claimed, Adams questioned his education, which was obtained from Texas A&M University.

Toward the end of the hearing, Adams told the judge the horses were her livelihood and pleaded with him to return them to her.

Metts heard every witness and examined all the evidence presented before awarding the surviving horses to the SPCA.

The judge said he did not believe Adams “got up one morning and decided to mistreat these animals,” but he did believe they were cruelly treated in that they were not provided adequate food and shelter.

Metts later said he felt he did what was best for the animals.

“It’s difficult to decide to take away a person’s rights to their animals when, in this case, there is evidence that at one time Ms. Adams apparently took excellent care of the horses,” he said. “But at some point, these horses stopped receiving the nourishment and other essentials.

Before Adams left the courthouse, Pct. 4 deputy constables called her to the hallway out of the sight of her children and placed her under arrest.

Adams is charged with five counts of Animal Cruelty. Her bond was set at $1,000 per count.

(Your Houston News - Feb 13, 2014)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/news/judge-awards-horses-to-spca-three-horses-found-dead-on/article_ecd9de93-a7c4-5e3f-982a-1dc9e0039645.html