Ross Bankston and Heidi Bankston were indicted June 2. Each count is considered a Class C felony because the alleged offenses involved more than 11 animals, said David Lytle, public affairs manager for Oregon Humane Society.
Ross Bankston and Heidi Bankston, pleaded guilty to first-degree animal neglect in a separate case in 2014.
The owners of the horses have previous criminal citations for first- and second-degree animal neglect in 2012. They pleaded guilty to first-degree animal neglect in 2014. If convicted of the new charges, they could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison.
In early March, the Oregon Humane Society and Columbia County sheriff’s deputies, with the assistance of animal control, executed a search warrant on a Colvin Road property, where the horses were kept. Authorities seized the horses but took no immediate legal action against the Bankstons.
Lytle didn’t elaborate Monday on the horses’ condition because the animals are considered evidence. They are being cared for by OHS. He said in March that the horses were “extremely” underweight and at least one horse had sores caused by excessive exposure to moisture, a common condition in horses.
He said it’s unclear whether neglecting the horses was intentional or the result of not having the means to care for them. However, he said it doesn’t matter under Oregon law.
“It’s a crime to neglect your animal either intentionally or simply because you lack the resources,” Lytle said. “At OHS, our focus is what we see on the animals, and that’s what we base issuing a citation on.”
The Bankstons will be arraigned June 20 in Columbia County Circuit Court.
(Longview Daily News - June 13, 2016)
Earlier:
Any updates from several years ago? What ended up happening?
ReplyDeleteWhy not show pictures of the asses that did this to defenseless animals? Also, update?
ReplyDelete