Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Tony Spencer | | Defense(s): | Eugene Frost |
Five horses seized
Ruther Glen, VA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
County: Caroline
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Michael Wilkerson
Case Updates: 1 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 UpdatesMichael 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 |
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