A rural Platteville man who admitted to allowing several horses on his property to starve because he couldn't afford to feed them could face a long prison sentence.
Troy Beattie, 39, lives about three miles east of Platteville. On March 12, Weld County animal control officer Gary Schwartz confiscated 22 horses from the property, then arrested Beattie on 22 counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals. Deputies found another horse on March 13, which brings the total pending charges to 23.
Schwartz responded to complaints of starving horses on the property and after checking the animals, they were confiscated and the next day Beattie was arrested. Using his training from the National Cruelty Investigation Academy, Schwartz rated the horses on a 1-to-9 scale, in which 1 indicates a severely emaciated horse and 9 indicates a severely obese horse.
Six horses rated a 1 on the scale and the other horses ranked between 2 and 3, Schwartz said.
State law indicates the charges could bring one to three years in prison for each count and fines between $100 and $100,000 for each count.
Beattie was not home when the horses were taken on March 11. He was arrested Monday by Schwartz and a sheriff's deputy. According to arrest affidavits, Beattie told the officers he didn't have the money nor means to properly feed and care for the horses. He said he was aware of the horses' poor conditions.
In his arrest information sheet, Beattie said he works at a country store in Mead, and he left a name of friends for emergency contact. The friends did not want to comment on his arrest.
No one answered the door to Beattie's home Tuesday, when Beattie posted a $5,000 bond to get out of Weld County Jail.
In front of his home was a large horse trailer which carried the insignia of the American Paint Horse Association.
Also noted on the arrest affidavit were the officers' comments that Beattie was "very cooperative" with the officers and there were no problems with his arrest.
The horses were taken to undisclosed locations, where they will be fed and treated by veterinarians.
Troy Beattie will appear in Weld District Court at 3:30 p.m. March 15, where he is expected to be charged with 23 counts of animal cruelty. Case UpdatesFelony charges were filed Friday against a Platteville man, who now could face a lengthy prison sentence for leaving several of his horses to starve because he couldn't afford to feed them.
Troy Beattie, 39, lives about three miles east of Platteville, was arrested on March 12 after an officer with Weld County animal control, Gary Schwartz confiscated 22 horses from Beattie's property. Deputies also found another horse the following day and on April 2 and found six dead horses buried on the property.
Beattie was charged with six felony counts and 22 misdemeanors for cruelty to animals, according to Jennifer Finch with the Weld County District Attorney's Office. Each of the felony charges carry between $1,000 to $100,000 in fines and up to 18 months in prison and between $500 to $5,000 and up to 18 months in jail for each of the misdemeanors.
Using his training from the National Cruelty Investigation Academy, Schwartz rated the horses on a 1-to-9 scale, in which 1 indicates a severely emaciated horse and 9 indicates a severely obese horse. Six horses rated a 1 on the scale and the other horses ranked between 2 and 3, Schwartz said. The horses were taken to undisclosed locations, where they were fed and treated by veterinarians and expected to fully recover.
According to arrest affidavits, Beattie told the officers he didn't have the money nor means to properly feed and care for the horses. He said he was aware of the horses' poor conditions.
In his arrest information sheet, Beattie said he works at a country store in Mead, and he left a name of friends for emergency contact. The friends did not want to comment on his arrest. | Source: Greeley Tribune - May 4, 2007
Update posted on May 5, 2007 - 1:55AM |
A Platteville man who was arrested after authorities found him with malnourished horses is expected to be charged later this month.
Troy Beattie, who was arrested last month after Weld County deputies found several underweight horses on his property, will likely be charged with multiple felony counts next week. He was supposed to be charged on Friday.
Beattie, 39, was arrested March 12 after deputies found more than 20 horses on his property in various stages of malnourishment and neglect. He was supposed to be charged March 30, but the Weld District Attorney's Office wanted to delay filing those charges until April 6.
Later, deputies received a report that the body of at least one horse may have been buried on Beattie's property. Deputies recovered multiple bodies April 2.
Shortly before the filing deadline on Friday, the DA's office again requested to delay filing charges against Beattie, saying more investigation is needed before the proper charges can be determined.
Beattie is now expected to be charged at 3:30 p.m. April 20. He is free on $5,000 bond. | Source: Greeley Tribune - April 9, 2007
Update posted on Apr 10, 2007 - 2:28AM |
A search warrant was executed at a boarding facility already in trouble for animal cruelty because a woman believed her horse might be buried there.
The owner of the facility, Troy Beattie, 39, was arrested March 12 because of the very poor conditions of 22 horses found on his Weld County property.
Officers went back to 17998 Weld County Road 32 on Monday, and using large construction equipment, found one dead horse in an eight foot hole, which may include other carcasses.
"The hole that they're digging in could possibly have several horses in it. We won't know until they complete the dig and complete pulling everything out of the hole," said Shane Scofield, a Weld County Sheriff's spokesperson.
Deputies said they will use horseshoes and brands to help identify the horse or possibly send hair samples to Colorado State University to be cross referenced with hair samples from existing databases.
Beattie already faces 22 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, and if he is convicted could face more than 20 years in prison. The discovery on Monday could also mean additional charges.
"Nobody is ever happy to work on something like this. They realize it needs to be done. It's just another step in the process before it goes to court. They need to make sure that everything is done properly," said Scofield.
All 22 horses found on Beattie's property in March are in the care of either family or associates of Beattie.
Beattie is due in court later this week. | Source: The Denver Channel - April 2, 2007
Update posted on Apr 4, 2007 - 2:37AM |
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