Lewis County Sheriff's Office Capt. Dusty Breen said Jennifer M. Jenkins, 44, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and faces nine counts of cruelty to animals.
Nine horses, including the one rescued from the mud were seized from the property in the 2500 block of state Route 508 in Onalaska to be taken to shelter locations.
Jenkins complied with law enforcement commands and there were no issues with the arrest, Breen said.
Onalaska fire crews, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies, county staff and bystanders came together Tuesday afternoon to rescue a horse trapped in deep, sticky mud.
Lewis County Public Health staff started shoveling mud away from the horse about an hour and a half later.
The horse was thin and shaky, and had visible sores on its body. Several people helped the horse as it struggled to stay upright following the rescue.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ken Cheeseman said the incident is under investigation.
Bill Teitzel, supervisor of the environmental services division of Lewis County Public Health, said code enforcement officers have previously responded to complaints at the property.
“I have been out here before with the sheriff’s office,” he said.
When fire crews responded, the horse was on its side in the mud, which was more than a foot deep, according to Chief Andrew Martin of Lewis County Fire District 1.
“It’s side was as deep as the mud was,” Martin said.
Firefighters worked with a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Lewis County Public Health staff and bystanders to lift the small, young horse with straps. Then they slid boards under the horse to give it something solid to stand on, and helped the animal stay on its feet.
The horse was walking around by about 4 p.m.
Martin said the district occasionally responds to help trapped animals, such as horses.
Breen said the horse stayed on the property with eight others until a veterinarian could look at the animals as required in neglect and abuse cases. After that law enforcement was able to move forward with the charges. The horse was seized Wednesday along with eight others.
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| Photos: Pete Caster |
Two dogs on the property appeared to be in good shape, Breen said.
Lewis County Public Health has recently increased its humane officer position from 20 hours per week to 40 hours to deal with a volume and backlog of animal neglect reports, Teitzel said.
“I think that’s going to be a great help,” he said.
(Centralia Chronicle - April 6, 2016)
