Horse neglect
Sandpoint, ID (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 31, 2006
County: Bonner

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Dismissed

Person of Interest: Rebecca Renee Smith

Four allegedly malnourished and improperly sheltered horses were seized from Smith in January. She was charged with nine counts of animal cruelty, but Bonner County Deputy Public Defender Janet Whitney upended the state's case by showing a deputy neglected to obtain a search warrant for Smith's property. Denuded of vital evidence, the state abandoned its prosecution of Smith. Criminal proceedings began anew in August 2007, after one of Smith's horses escaped and was found to be malnourished, touching off the second round of forfeiture proceedings.Court documents indicate Smith regained custody of at least one of the horses seized in the first case after it was sold at auction. The animal was among those seized last summer.

References

• Bonner Daily Bee - Nov 9, 2007

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