Arizona: Daniel Segovia, 47, arrested, accused of animal cruelty against horses

ARIZONA -- An Avondale man was charged Dec. 7 with two felony counts of animal cruelty for allegedly neglecting his horses, court records state.

Daniel Fernando Segovia Jr., 47, was arrested Dec. 3 and booked into Maricopa County Fourth Avenue Jail.

Deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office responded to his home near 107th and Southern avenues in October regarding a complaint about skinny horses on the property, records state.

They found four horses, of which two were “very emaciated,” one was skinny and the fourth was in good condition, records state.

Segovia told deputies he had owned the horses for three years and one was born on the property, records state.

He said he fed the horses twice a day, including carrots to help remove the sand they ingested, records state.

The horses had not received veterinary treatment, but Segovia said he wormed them all except for the foal, records state.

The female foal, a 12- to 18-month-old sorrel and white paint horse, was severely emaciated and had little to no muscle or fat, records state.

Deputies reported that the bones of her ribs, hip, spine and base of her tail were visible, and she was lethargic, records state.

The mother, an 8-year-old bay and white paint horse, was also emaciated and deputies could see the bones of her hips, ribs and spine, records state.

Both horses were surrendered to MCSO and transported directly to a veterinary clinic for medical attention, records state.

Large amounts of sand were found in their abdomens, records state.

The foal weighed 338 pounds, about 200 pounds under its ideal weight, and had a body condition score of one out of nine. She was suffering from chronic malnutrition and lack of care, records state.

“The condition of this horse is severe and prognosis for the horse’s life is guarded,” the report states. “This horse is at risk for both re-feeding syndrome as well as intestinal rupture due to the large amount of sand.”

The mother weighed 696 pounds, about 150 pounds under her ideal weight, and had a body condition score of 2.5 out of nine, records state.

Her teeth also had sharp points, which resulted in mild ulcers on her cheek, records state.

Name: Daniel Fernando Segovia Jr.
Sex: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 185
DOB: 09/14/1968
Age at arrest: 47
Booking date: 12/03/2015
Charge:

• ANIMAL-FAIL PROV MEDICAL TRTMT

(westvalleyview.com - Dec 11, 2015)