Downed cow left so suffer
Westminster, MD (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
County: Carroll
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: James E. Horak
The owner of the Westminster Livestock Auction Market in Westminster said Thursday [June 12, 2008] he will settle charges filed by the state Agriculture Department stemming from an investigation of alleged animal abuse.
James E. Horak, of Hanover, Pa., said he won't admit animal cruelty. But he said he will acknowledge he should have immediately shot a so-called "downer" cow, an animal too weak to stand, instead of leaving the ailing animal outside overnight.
The auction market will be placed on probation for nine months under the deal, Horak told The Associated Press.
"I am not going to plead guilty to any animal cruelty," Horak said in a telephone interview. "I am only signing a consent form that says I should have done a couple of things differently."
Thursday was the deadline for Horak's responses to four counts of violating state animal health regulations, including two of failing to provide humane treatment.
Charges were filed May 28. They stemmed from a Humane Society of the United States investigation that included video of a "downer" dairy cow left overnight outside an auction barn before HSUS summoned someone to destroy the animal April 23.
Agriculture Department spokeswoman Julianne Oberg declined comment, saying no agreement had been signed.
The agency said in late May that it has strengthened its livestock auction inspection policies as a result of the HSUS inspection of auction and slaughter houses in Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Texas.
The revisions require inspectors to report downer livestock.
After telling the operator how to handle a downer, inspectors must check back the next day to ensure that their orders have been followed, the agency said. References« MD State Animal Cruelty Map
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