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Case #13921 Rating: 1.3 out of 5
Two horses found emaciated Port Norris, NJ (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jun 21, 2008 County: Cumberland
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects: » Terry Labas - Civil Case » Jack Hunter
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Two township residents face animal cruelty charges after the SPCA found two emaciated horses on a Port Norris property, authorities said.
The animals were starving so much they had begun eating a fence, according to the SPCA.
Complaints will be signed today against Terry Labas, who owns the Sockwell Road property, and Jack Hunter, who said he owned the horses, according to Bev Greco, executive director of the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Each faces four counts of animal cruelty.
Acting on a tip, SPCA agents found the horses in "horrible condition" Saturday morning on the 1.18-acre property, Greco said.
"All their bones were showing and they had open wounds," she said.
The SPCA was unable to save the mare, believed to be a 7-year old pinto. It was euthanized due to its distressed state, Greco said.
The colt, a 2-year-old named Spirit, was severely undersized and emaciated, cruelty agents alleged. The colt was surrendered voluntarily to the SPCA.
Spirit was placed in a foster home. If the colt's condition improves, the SPCA will look for a permanent home.
"He needs some time," Greco said.
The SPCA said it will charge Labas and Hunter with failure to provide vet care, failure to provide sustenance, unsanitary conditions and inflicting unnecessary cruelty.
If convicted, Labas and Hunter face up to a $1,000 fine and six months imprisonment for each charge.
Neither Labas nor Hunter could be reached for comment. The Sockwell Road residence has an unlisted telephone number.
Labas was the owner of a pet buck named Mike that got loose last year and was euthanized after a Millville man spotted it and shot an arrow into its neck. She had received a special permit from the state Division of Fish and Game to own the buck, which she raised with a companion doe.
SPCA investigators noted other animals on the property, including dogs and a sheep, appeared to be in good condition.
Labas and Hunter told the SPCA they were unaware of the horses' deteriorating condition, Greco said.
But, Greco said, "these horses were being starved to death," noting the animals had resorted to eating a fence.
With grain prices soaring, Greco said, it's becoming more expensive to feed horses. She fears an increase in this type of cruelty.
She urged members of the public to be vigilant and call the SPCA if they suspect abuse.
The Sockwell Road stable area cannot be viewed from the road.
Saturday's visit was not the first time the SPCA responded to Labas' property. Agents said they visited the property in 2005 to investigate cruelty complaints, but no charges were filed at that time.
SPCA agents said they worked to educate the animal owners on proper care, and conditions were brought into compliance. That case was later closed.
Case UpdatesA couple charged with abuse-related violations against a pair of horses, found emaciated and skeletal in late April, and one sheep in Port Norris pleaded guilty Thursday night in municipal court following a string of delays.
Jack Hunter and Terry Labas were first scheduled to appear in court in August after agents from the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recovered a starved colt, along with his equally skeletal mother - which had to be euthanized on site - from a property on Sockwell Road.
As part of the final ruling issued by Municipal Court Judge Paul Kienzle, both Hunter and Labas are banned from owning livestock in Commercial Township ever again.
Labas, who works as a state corrections officer, is listed as the owner of the residence, although both live on the property. She was permitted to keep her job with the state.
Hunter took responsibility for the two horses, pleading guilty to failure to provide veterinary care for both, and will pay a $500 fine.
He also plead guilty to a second cruelty charge of failure to provide proper food and water for the animals, for which Hunter will be forced to pay $100.
Both are criminal charges.
In addition, Hunter will have to pay $1,500 in restitution to the county SPCA for care administered to the sheep.
"(The sheep) had never been sheared; we removed about 24 pounds of wool from it," said Debbie Young, a cruelty investigator for the county SPCA. "We had to give care to the sheep for about six months."
According to county SPCA Executive Director Bev Greco, the actual amount spent on the sheep was actually closer to $1,700.
In addition, the SPCA had spent more than $1,500 on services to the colt alone. However, Hunter and Labas were not responsible for the care given to the colt because the couple had released the horse into SPCA custody.
Labas, for her part, pleaded guilty to a civil charge of failing to provide sanitary living conditions for one horse and will pay a $250 fine.
All except for the civil charge carried up to a maximum $1,000 fine with a possible six-month jail time. The judge could have administered 30 days of community service.
Greco commented that while all of the sentences were within the law, the law itself is not strict enough.
"To allow horses to suffer like that, I myself would've liked to see them in jail," said Greco. "I am more than thrilled that the judge approved our request to ban both of them from owning livestock in the township, though."
According to Greco, a family that has been housing the sheep since agents confiscated the animal in April will adopt it.
As for the colt, tough economic times have made adoption difficult.
"We've been trying to adopt out the horse since we took it off the property, but its been hard," said Greco. "But now we have some candidates that are showing interest, and I'm confident that we'll be able to find a home for him."
At the time of the discovery of the malnourished animals on Labas property in April, Greco described the condition of the two horses as "one of the most horrible things I have seen."
The mare was not yet dead when found, but was euthanized on the recommendation of a veterinarian.
The horse was reportedly too weak to stand.
In the absence of food, they had begun eating the wooden fence around the area where they were confined, according to the county SPCA executive director.
Both Labas and Hunter told SPCA agents they "did not know why" the horses looked like they did, said Greco, adding it has been difficult to contact them because neither apparently has a telephone. | Source: The Bridgeton News - Dec 5, 2008 Update posted on Dec 6, 2008 - 7:38PM |
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