IDAHO -- Payette Police have seized three starving, dehydrated horses from a Payette residence on Dewitt Avenue.
Police Chief Mark Clark said his department has been watching the horses since September. Officers gave the owner a formal warning at that time, after which the horses appeared to be fed and watered.
Then, just days prior to the seizure Thursday, police noticed the horses looked malnourished once again.
“It got to critical stage, so we needed to take action,” said Clark.
He brought in an Idaho state veterinarian to inspect the horses. On a health rating from one to 10, the veterinarian graded the horses as a two.
“[The veterinarian] said we needed to take them into protective custody,” said Clark.
Clark presented this evidence to a judge, who then granted a seizure warrant.
Although the horses have been seized, the owner has yet to be arrested. The police cannot cite the owner until she opens her door to the police, Clark said.
As of this morning, the owner had yet to be arrested. Clark said the police have applied for an arrest warrant.
That warrant will not allow police to enter her house. Officers must locate her outside her home to arrest her, Clark said.
It will take a day or two to get the warrant, Clark said.
He said seizing abused horses is a “whole new animal” for the department.
“We’re in new territory, to be honest with you,” said Clark. “This is the first time we’ve been in this position where we’ve had to seize horses.”
That is why the department has asked the community for support and hay donations.
“We’ve had to seize dogs, but we have a facility for them,” said Clark. “For horses, it’s a little bit different. We don’t have a place to keep them, so we depend on other people to help us.”
The department asked for donations through its Facebook page Friday. It received several donations over the weekend.
“We got a lot of donations,” said Clark. “So that worked out pretty well.”
(Ontario Argus Observer - Nov 25, 2014)
No comments:
Post a Comment