Horse dragged behind 4-wheeler Tifton, GA (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 County: Tift Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abusers/Suspects: » Floyd Stanley McKellar » James Clinton Craig - Alleged

Case ID: 10175 Classification: Vehicular, Neglect / Abandonment Animal: horse View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

After asking two questions and deliberating for two hours, the jury in a Tifton man's animal cruelty case found him guilty of two of the three charges, lessening one from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Floyd Stanley McKellar was on trial in Aug 2006 for pulling a horse by the neck behind a four-wheeler and neglecting to adequately feed and care for horses in his care.

A co-defendant, James Clinton Craig, has yet to come to trial.

McKellar was sentenced to serve 90 days of a two-year sentence in the county jail with the balance on probation. He was also sentenced to serve 360 hours of community service at either the Tifton-Tift County Animal Shelter or a local veterinarian�s office. Judge Ralph Simpson also banned McKellar from owning, possessing or caring for any animal, hunting or owning a hunting license for one year and could spend his jail sentence on the weekends.

During the trial, the defense had argued that McKellar, who had survived a debilitating battle with cancer, was physically incapable of moving a sick colt and was forced to use a four wheeler to pull the colt away from a pack of horses that could have pawed and bitten it.

They also made an effort to prove that Craig had bought McKellar�s horses in February, which was before the time investigators began looking into complaints the horses were underweight.

The state argued that McKellar dragged the horse, causing scrapes to the animal�s hide, not out of compassion for the animal but for his convenience.

The jury found McKellar guilty of counts one and two of a grand jury indictment which had accused him of neglecting to feed his horses and dragging the colt on his property. The jury rendered a not-guilty verdict on count three, which accused him of neglecting the colt to the point it had to be euthanized.

After hearing pleas for mercy from more than 25 people in the courtroom Friday including an impassioned plea from McKellar�s mother, Judge Ralph Simpson allowed McKellar to speak on his own behalf.

�Deep down in my heart, I know I didn�t do anything wrong,� McKellar said tearfully. �I got arrested, I went through the proper channels to try and get it dealt with � I had an opportunity to take a misdemeanor plea but I didn�t because I know I haven�t done anything wrong.�

�This whole situation has hurt me,� McKellar told the judge. �Whatever your sentence is going to be, if it�s the maximum, I�ll hurt some, but it will hurt my kids, my family and my friends.�

�I played Santa Claus at the Tifton Mall,� McKellar added. �I love kids. They�ll find someone to replace me, but they won�t be as good as me. I had those kids believing I was Santa.�

With that, McKellar sat down.

Simpson then weighed in with his opinion.

�I have the task to balance your past with the fate of that pony that you drug � pushed and drug,� Simpson said.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

Tifton Gazette - Aug 4, 20066

« GA State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.