Case Snapshot
Case ID: 13024
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: horse
More cases in Caroline County, VA
More cases in VA
« Back to Search Results
Login to Watch this Case

New features are coming soon. Login with Facebook to get an early start and help us test them out!


Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Tony Spencer
Defense(s): Eugene Frost, John LaFratta
Judge(s): Horace A. Revercomb III, Joseph J. Ellis


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



Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008

County: Caroline

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Michael Wilkerson

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Five horses were seized in Caroline County Tuesday and their owner has been charged with animal cruelty.

Michael Wilkerson of Ruther Glen will be arraigned next week on five counts of animal cruelty, said Animal Control Officer J.C. Heffler.

She said the office investigated after an anonymous tip to check on the animals and the horses were found "in poor body condition" and were emaciated.

While lack of food is thought to be a cause of the horses' condition, Heffler said more tests would need to be done by a vet before they could determine the condition of each horse.

The United States Equine Rescue League is assisting the animal control office by boarding and caring for the horses, Heffler said.

Susan White, an investigator for the league, said in a release that the horses range in age from 1 year to 32 years.

She said three of the horses are "severely emaciated" and it is expected to take six to 12 months for all of the horses to regain their health.

Heffler said while the horses are currently being cared for by the league, their permanent ownership is pending Wilkerson's trial.

Wilkerson has previous convictions of allowing a horse to run at large and failure to keep livestock fenced, according to court records.


Case Updates

A Caroline County farrier who was given the county's longest sentence for animal cruelty is now serving time in prison.

Micheal A. Wilkerson Sr., 48, was sentenced to 14 months in jail in February 2010 for seven counts of animal cruelty against horses, but has remained out on bond because he appealed the decision several times. He was convicted in December 2009.

Those appeals were denied twice by the Court of Appeals of Virginia and refused twice by the Supreme Court of Virginia. The most recent refusal by the Supreme Court was on Sept. 23.

Now that all of his appeal options are out, Judge Joseph J. Ellis told Wilkerson yesterday afternoon that it was time for him to go to jail.

Defense Attorney John LaFratta asked if Wilkerson could be allowed to participate in the work release program, but Ellis said no.

The case began in January 2008 when Animal Control officers said they warned Wilkerson that he needed to do a better job of feeding and caring for nine of his horses. They returned about two weeks later and seized five of the horses because they didn't see any improvement, but four of the horses were missing.

Wilkerson was convicted in February 2008 of four counts of cruelty to the seized horses. He was not convicted of cruelty against the fifth horse because he did not own the horse for more than six months.

He appealed that decision and, after several postponements, Commonwealth's Attorney Tony Spencer added more charges of animal cruelty after the four missing horses were discovered, in the same condition, with a friend of Wilkerson's in Lunenburg County.

Spencer argued during the sentencing hearing that Wilkerson didn't have the resources to properly care for his horses during the winter months when there was no grass to feed on, so he fed them the bare minimum to keep them alive until the summer.

A veterinarian testified during the trial in December 2009 that one of the horses was so starved that its bone-marrow fat content, which is usually 60 to 90 percent, was less than two percent.

"This was an intentional near-starvation of horses for months at a time," Spencer said at the trial. "It's time for him to answer to what he has done. It was horrible cruelty."

Defense attorney John LaFratta told the judge that Wilkerson fell on hard times and shouldn't receive jail time.

"He fell short of what is required when you take an animal into care, but I don't think that he did anything intentionally to hurt these horses," LaFratta said.

Judge Horace A. Revercomb III sentenced Wilkerson in February 2010 to seven years in prison with all but 14 months suspended. He also will have to pay $3,500 in fines and $4,500 in restitution for veterinary bills and is prohibited from possessing any agricultural animals.

Wilkerson was also convicted of cruelty to 12 horses in 1996.
Source: fredericksburg.com - Oct 13, 2011
Update posted on Oct 13, 2011 - 9:31PM 
Michael Wilkerson was supposed to be tried today in Caroline County Circuit Court on four counts of animal cruelty following accusations that he abused his horses.

Instead, he was charged with four more counts of cruelty and his trial was delayed until Jan. 21.

Caroline Commonwealth's Attorney Tony Spencer said new evidence came to light since the trial date was set that showed there were four more horses belonging to Wilkerson that he hadn't cared for properly.

Today's trial was set as an appeal by Wilkerson after he was found guilty on the four initial counts earlier this year in General District Court. Defense attorney Eugene Frost joined Spencer in asking for the delay so all eight counts could be tried together.

When animal control officers began investigating Wilkerson's farm in January, they told him he needed to do a better job of caring for the horses or he would be charged, according to evidence in the case.

When the officers came back one week later, Wilkerson told them he had given four of the horses to an equestrian adoption agency, Spencer said.

But the new counts allege that Wilkerson gave the horses to a friend instead, and the care did not improve.

Frost said in court today that he plans to call close to 10 witnesses on Wilkerson's behalf. At his previous trial in General District Court, Wilkerson argued that he did care for his horses and multiple witnesses supported his claim.
Source: The Free-Lance Star - Aug 27, 2008
Update posted on Aug 27, 2008 - 12:49PM 

References

« Back to Search Results
« VA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Caroline County, VA

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.