ILLINOIS -- The woman who owns several horses seized by animal control officers vowed Friday to fight the charges against her, arguing that Vermilion County had no legal right to take animals she claims were being properly cared for and fed.
"We're not bad people. We take in horses from neglect situations," Rhonda Powell said, adding that she and her husband have had as many as 23 horses living on their 5-acre property at one time.
Rescue horses are often skinny when they get them, she said in response to charges that the animals found at their farm were underfed and not properly cared for.
In May, the county's department of animal control investigated veterinarian reports of neglect at the Powells' property east of Rossville and found evidence corroborating those claims, according to the county's attorney, Bill Donahue.
The animal control officers obtained a search warrant and seized the Powells' nine horses, a donkey, a bull, 31 chickens, six ducks, nine dogs, two cats and two doves.
Powell, who lives on the property with her husband, Jeff, refused to surrender ownership of any of the horses, or the donkey, five of the dogs and one cat.
So, those animals are still in custody of animal control, pending the outcome of the court cases filed in May against the Powells. The charges include three state misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and 19 county ordinance violations for neglect.
While the cases make their way through court, the county is racking up thousands of dollars in fees caring for the animals. The most expensive are the horses that, in addition to feed and medical treatment, require boarding at two private facilities because the county's animal shelter on Catlin-Tilton Road cannot house them.
Costs so far have surpassed $36,000, wrecking the shelter's budget, and it appears the court case is nowhere near resolution.
A trial date is scheduled for Monday, but the Powells' attorney filed a motion to withdraw as their counsel, and Rhonda Powell said she and her husband have no other attorney in place and will have to rely on the public defender's office.
Powell said she and her husband are both disabled and can't work regular jobs. He suffers from heart problems and schizophrenia, she said, and she has post-traumatic stress disorder from abuse in past relationships.
Rescuing and retraining horses not only gives her something to do, but also it's their livelihood, she said. Rescue horses come to her Rossville property from all over the United States, added Powell, who said she started pursuing her farm full time in 1992 as an egg and goat producer.
"The horses came after I became disabled. I needed something more to fulfill my time. I grew up on a farm," she said. "... And it has been a godsend to me. They are my reason to get out of bed every morning."
Powell said she has developed a reputation for taking and rehabilitating rescue horses.
"But the kind of horses we take in, they're horses that probably should have been put to sleep," Powell said. "I have a very gentle hand. I can do amazing things with these horses."
She said her predicament began when the Powells took a horse with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, a disease caused by a parasite, from a man in western Illinois. When that disease was discovered in another horse from the same man, a veterinarian, animal control officer and others came to the Powells, she said.
Powell said she voluntarily let them take that horse to a couple they knew could better care for it.
Several days later, she said, the county showed up with its warrant and the trailers to haul away their animals.
Powell said they don't have a big fancy barn or stalls on their property and prefer doing "everything natural," but insisted they did not neglect their animals. At night and when the Powells weren't home, the horses were mostly kept in a quarter-acre area, she said, but it was for their own safety.
She said the animals were allowed to roam the rest of the property, even the driveway, when the Powells were home. She said there's a lean-to and trees for shelter and access to their garage, too.
"One of the worst things you can do is keep horses in a stall," said Powell, adding that they don't shoe or whip their horses or use bits in their mouths.
"We're very humane," said Powell, adding that in the pictures the county took when the animals were seized, one can see plenty of hay and water for the horses.
She said their only wrong was not having up-to-date rabies shots for their dogs or their county registration tags.
She said the bull was used for breeding and the chickens to lay eggs for sale, and the county has now taken away their livelihood. "At one time, these were high-dollar horses, and that's what we make them again," she said.
Powell said that when these charges are cleared, they will file a civil lawsuit against the county for its "illegal" handling of the situation and to recoup the income they're losing.
(The News Gazette - Oct 31, 2015)
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