Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Tony Tague | | Judge(s): | James M. Graves |
Horse neglect, 3 found dead
Dalton Township, MI (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Mar 13, 2008
County: Muskegon
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Christopher Strait
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
The owner of three horses found dead March 13 at a Dalton Township residence will face criminal misdemeanor charges for failing to adequately care for the animals and improperly disposing of their remains.
Two of the horses were discovered lying on the ground in fenced enclosures at 4111 Beattie and a third was in a barn. A Dalton Township official driving by the house called authorities after he noticed a horse on the ground behind the residence.
"We feel the reason the horses died was that this person just didn't know how to take care of them," said Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler. "I know people with horses. It's just like raising kids. It's a 24-hour job."
Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague said the owner, 27-year-old Christopher Strait, "gave them some food, but not enough."
One of the horses was taken to Michigan State University for a post-mortem examination called a necropsy. The horse "died from severe emaciation," Tague said.
Strait "originally said he thought the horses may have been poisoned, but the toxicology report indicated no presence of any type of poison," Tague said. "It was clear to the veterinarians who examined the horse that it died from malnutrition."
Police said the owner indicated all three horses had died within a short period of time in December. The two outside were covered with snow until one of them was seen by the township official. Roesler said a fourth horse had been given away earlier.
A six-count warrant was issued Thursday afternoon for Strait, who no longer lives at the Beattie Road address, Tague said.
The prosecutor said Strait, now of Fruitport Township, had consulted with a neighbor and had given the horses weight-gaining feed, but it didn't work. He said deputies did find corn and grain for the horses, along with some moldy hay.
Strait is charged with three counts of animal cruelty/abandonment, which is a 93-day misdemeanor. It is alleged that he failed to provide them with adequate care.
He also faces three counts of improper animal burial. The warrant states that he, being the owner of a dead animal, "did knowingly permit" the animal to "remain in place within one mile of the residence of another person without being buried." The offense is a 90-day misdemeanor.
Roesler said arrangements will be made for Strait to turn himself in for arraignment in 60th District Court.
Case UpdatesA Muskegon County man who police say starved three of his horses to death pleaded no contest to a felony charge Tuesday.
Christopher Strait, 27, now of 1345 Shettler, Norton Shores, was charged in May with killing or torturing an animal stemming from the starvation deaths of three horses he owned in Dalton Township.
He entered the no contest plea on Tuesday before 14th Circuit Judge James M. Graves Jr., and is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 22.
If convicted, Strait could be ordered to serve up to four years in prison.
Police say the horses were discovered on March 31 when a Dalton Township official drove by Strait's former residence at 3111 Beattie and saw a horse on the ground behind the residence.
The sheriff's department responded to the home where Strait was then living and found two dead horses lying in fenced enclosures and another dead horse in a barn.
One of the horses was taken to Michigan State University for examination. It was determined the animal died from severe emaciation, authorities said, meaning it starved to death.
Police said earlier that Strait had indicated all three horses died within a short period of time in December.
Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague authorized the felony charge after further investigation, alleging that Strait "willfully and maliciously failed to adequately nourish the animals." Strait was initially charged with a number of lesser misdemeanor charges which have since been dropped.
The felony charge relates to the animal that was examined at MSU, Tague said. | Source: Muskegon Chronicle - Aug 13, 2008
Update posted on Aug 13, 2008 - 10:50PM |
A Muskegon County man faces trial on a felony charge stemming from the starvation deaths of three horses he owned in Dalton Township.
Christopher Strait, 27, now of 1345 Shettler, Norton Shores, on Tuesday waived his right to a preliminary examination in 60th District Court on a charge of killing or torturing an animal. The waiver means Strait was bound over for trial in 14th Circuit Court.
Strait initially was charged with misdemeanor counts after the horses were found dead in March at 3111 Beattie, which Strait then owned. But Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague earlier this month authorized the felony charge after further investigation, alleging that Strait "willfully and maliciously failed to adequately nourish the animals." | Source: Mlive - May 21, 2008
Update posted on May 21, 2008 - 10:29AM |
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