Saturday, December 31, 2016

Washington: Deborah Kingcade and James Kingcade, who were running a rescue called "Emerald City Thoroughbred Project", keep coming up with excuses as to why they're not showing up in court to answer for animal cruelty charges

WASHINGTON -- A Cle Elum couple facing animal cruelty charges failed to show up to a second hearing in Kittitas County Superior Court on Friday.

Superior Court Judge Scott Sparks did not issue a warrant for Deborah and James Kingcade, but said if the couple failed to appear in court on Jan. 20 he would.




James Kingcade’s defense attorney Etoy Alford said James Kingcade was feeling ill that morning due an ongoing battle with throat cancer. He has had regular contact with his client.

Deputy Prosecutor Erika George expressed concern and said, “It feels like their appearance is becoming less regular.”


Sparks issued a warrant after the couple failed to show up on Dec. 2. It was quashed when they appeared in court on Dec. 5.

The Kingcades face two counts of first-degree animal cruelty and 12 counts of second-degree animal cruelty after the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office seized 14 horses from their residence in May. The horses were malnourished and in poor health.



The Kingcades pleaded not guilty in June. The couple said several of the horses were underfed by previous owners before they rescued them, according to a legal petition filed in the court.

The seized horses were initially taken to a barn at the Kittitas Valley Event Center at the fairgrounds where volunteers helped care for them. They all made a full recovery.



(Daily Record-News - Dec 31, 2016)

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1 comment:

  1. This is the dark side of criminal cruelty prosecution. Groups are receiving 'bounty' money to go after folks with animals in marginal, but not poor condition.

    In the two set of photos, one shows a shaggy winter coated horse in nearly the same condition as the second photo of the same animal. We don't get an age on either horse, so this may just be 'old age frailty' setting in.

    The second horse is at what would be a passable weight for a racing thoroughbred. The second photo of the same horse shows a big belly, either grass or grain fat. This horse has not gained weight over it's whole body, indicating it has a metabolism issue.

    Problem is, the public and a lot of vet are used to overweight 'pasture pets' and show horses (show horsed are kept slightly to severely overweight because, as they say "Fat covers a lot of (conformational) sins")

    Here's a lovely picture of an endurance horse for comparison. https://perseveranceendurancehorses.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/695.jpg

    OMG. Look how skinny it is! How cruel! Better arrest that rider at once! (SARCASM)

    If the folks charged in this piece were leaving their animals without food or water for long stretches, or have done other misdeeds, I don't know, but from the photos above, they are being wrongly prosecuted.

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