Wednesday, March 5, 2003

Neglected horses confiscated from Fayette pasture; one horse dead By JOHN MUNFORD jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com Officials with the Georgia Department of Agriculture confiscated six horses from a pasture in central Fayette County Tuesday morning after determining the animals had been neglected. During a Saturday visit to the location off Sandy Creek Road near Sams Drive, officials found one horse dead and the others in rough shape nutrition-wise, said Fayette County Animal Control Director Bill Newman. It was not clear Tuesday what the cause of death was for the horse found Saturday. Of the six horses evaluated by veterinarians Tuesday morning, two were near death, said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin. "All of them were in very poor condition," Irvin said. The horses' owner, John Johnson of College Park, was charged with six misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. Officials indicated the charges could possibly be upgraded to felony status depending on the investigation. The horses will be nursed back to health with a healthy diet at a central care facility in Decatur. Once they are brought back to good health, they will likely be sold through a sealed bid process, Irvin said. "We've got a good track record of rehabilitating horses there," Irvin said. It is not clear if Johnson plans to try and regain custody of the horses, Irvin added. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to the News Home Page| Back to the top of the page