Randolph Rigby (aka Randall Rigby, Randy Rigby) has been charged with three felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanor counts of confining an animal without sufficient food and water.
Escambia County Animal Control workers testified that over several visits to a property on Crowndale Court, they found one malnourished horse dead and tangled in a fence, and another ill, emaciated horse that had to be put down because of the severity of its health issues.
During the initial visit to the property in December 2013, the workers found one of the animals eating feces, and eight horses — including the dead mare — in a relatively small enclosure with no grass and barely any food.
A total of six horses were found to be emaciated or unhealthy, and their pictures were shown to jurors in a macabre courtroom slideshow.
"A lot of these pictures are going to be hard to look at," Assistant State Attorney Ryan Swedlaw told jurors beforehand. "The evidence will be sad, but it will be plentiful and persuasive."
Dozens of pictures taken in December 2013 and January and February 2014 showed horses with visible ribs, hair loss, skin infections and at least one with a open wound from days or weeks of lying on its side. The deceased horse had its legs stuck in a chain link fence and a gate wedged against its neck.
One thing the state did not show was clear evidence of who owned the animals. About five or six people resided on the property, several of whom reportedly shared the responsibility of caring for the horses. Initially, five people — all with the surname Ahl with the exception of Rigby — were charged in the case.
The family patriarch, George Ahl, reportedly "signed the check" to purchase the horses around late summer 2013, but he was reportedly physically unable to assist in the animal's care.
Animal Control workers testified that Rigby said he would take responsibility for any citations stemming from the animals conditions. He is the only member of the group whose case went to trial, though others have been placed on probation and been prohibited from caring for animals.
Bryan Hamlin, Rigby's attorney, pointed out there were also healthy horses on the property when Animal Control visited. He said that the unhealthy horses were in poor condition when the Ahl's bought them, and that the family had been working to get the animals back into shape.
"This was not some type of systematic pattern of abuse," he insisted. "These horses were purchased at an auction. You will hear they were already on death's doorstep."
Animal Control officials did testify that in visits to the property in January and February of 2014, there was food on the property, but only enough for just one day's worth of feeding for the animals.
However, one horse — a stallion named Red — lost an estimated 150 to 200 pounds during three months in the care of Rigby and the Ahls, according to veterinarian Sara Clark.
Clark was called to the property by Animal Control because Red was too weak to stand, and she found the horse emaciated, covered in sores and obviously suffering. Clark briefly attempted to nurse Red back to health before realizing he was already too far gone.
"In hindsight, he should have been euthanized right there, but he didn't deserve to die like that," Clark said.
A verdict in the one-day trial was not available as of press time Wednesday.
(PNJ - June 3, 2015)
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