Gut shot and left to suffer all night, horse euthanized and its owner says he doesn't want the guys who did it to go to jail. WTF?!

KENTUCKY -- Three men all have pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and other charges in connection with the shooting of several horses in January.

Corey Shannon, 19, and Travis Thompson and Cody Hicks, both 18, will not have to serve any jail time if they comply with the terms of their plea agreement, according to Boyd Commonwealth’s Attorney David Justice.

The plea agreement was offered to the men with the agreement of the owner of the horses, who said he did not want them to go to prison or have prison records because of their age, provided they pleaded guilty to a felony and made restitution, Justice said.

Justice said he would have preferred to take the men to trial and would have sought jail terms.

Instead, they will go into a pretrial diversion program; if they comply with conditions of the plea agreement for five years a judge can dismiss the charges.

Thompson and Hicks pleaded guilty to felony charges of first-degree criminal mischief. Shannon pleaded guilty to complicity to commit criminal mischief, also a felony. Shannon also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

Thompson and Hicks were 17 when the horses were shot but had been certified as adults for trial, Justice said.

The shootings happened in the Durbin area in early January, when one horse was found shot to death and another, still alive, also had been shot. The second animal was later euthanized.

The following day, another horse a few miles away had to be euthanized after it was found shot

Authorities had evidence to prove the men shot two of the horses, Justice said.

The plea agreement called for restitution of $9,000, the value of the horses. The amount has been partially paid. The owner of the horses supported the agreement, Justice said.

(The Independent-Oct 14, 2014)