Horse dragged behind vehicle, kicked in the head
Florence, AZ (US)Incident Date: Monday, Aug 4, 2008
County: Pinal
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Acquitted
Persons of Interest:
» Gordon Allen Bates
» 13 year old girl
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A man and his teen daughter are facing charges of animal cruelty in dragging a horse behind a pickup, the Pinal County Sheriff's Department said in a news release Thursday.
The horse is recovering, Pinal County sheriffs' spokeswoman Vanessa White said in the release.
The case came to light Monday when someone called the Sheriff's Department and reported a man driving a pickup with a horse chained to the back bumper.
"The reporting party was concerned that the owner of the horse was going to kill the horse," White said in the release.
A sheriff's corporal was sent to where the horse and truck were spotted, on East Javelina Drive in Florence.
The corporal followed truck tracks along the dirt road and found impressions in the dirt from the horse being dragged.
Continuing down the road, White said, the corporal spotted the horse on its side being dragged, White said.
The truck stopped and a man got out, followed by his 13-year-old daughter, who started "kicking the horse in the head, yelling at the horse to get up," White said.
The man got a plastic pipe from the rear of the truck and began beating the horse with it while also yelling for the animal to get up.
The corporal told the pair to stop and they complied, White said.
When the lawman looked at the horse, he saw it was bleeding from the nose and had "road rash" on its rear legs and numerous cuts and scrapes from being hit with the pipe.
The corporal also noticed a vehicle tow strap around the horse's neck was embedded in the animal's flesh, and removed the strap.
White said the man "told the officer that the horse would not obey and he needed to get the horse to another location."
The deputy arrested Gordon Allen Bates and his daughter on charges of animal cruelty, White said. The Florence pair have been released on their own recognizance and the case is being reviewed by the Pinal County Attorney's Office.
Case UpdatesHorse advocates attended a three-day trial in March on behalf of Kachina, the draft mare who was beaten and dragged behind a truck in Florence on Aug. 3.
After a 911 call, a Pinal County sheriff's corporal arrived on the scene and spotted a horse on its side being dragged behind a truck.
The driver and his 13-year-old daughter got out of the truck, and the girl began kicking the horse in the head, yelling at it to get up, the officer reported.
Her father retrieved a PVC pipe from the truck bed and began beating the animal, also yelling at the horse to get up.
The corporal repeatedly ordered the two to stop and was forced to draw his weapon.
The horse was bleeding from the nostrils. She had numerous contusions, cuts on the lower jaw and neck, and abrasions on her hocks, open wounds from being beaten with the pipe, and a road rash burn from the dragging.
Gordon Allen Bates and his daughter were arrested on animal cruelty charges.
Bates was tried March 17-19 and found not guilty of felony animal cruelty charges.
After much negotiation, Kachina was rescued by Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary in Amado, where she has found peaceful sanctuary.
She arrived April 1 and has just been introduced to the main PMU herd at the sanctuary. Kachina is seeking sponsors to help with her feed and daily care.
Bates is a geriatric nurse who, according to law enforcement reports, engaged his young daughter in the beating and near strangulation of a horse to the point of collapse.
According to a guest opinion article in the Tucson Citizen, Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary applauds sheriff's Cpl. Albert Phelps for his actions and for bringing this clear case of animal abuse to trial, and they salute Ty Morgan for investigating the case.
Attorney Lawrence Wharton is to be commended for prosecuting the case, as is Superior Court Judge Bradley Soos for hearing the case.
"It is unfortunate that the Florence jurors were not persuaded by the cruelty inflicted on Kachina and the impact this violent act may have on Bates' daughter and the public," says Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary president Karen Pomroy. "Perhaps with public outcry, we can prevent such vicious acts in the future." | Source: Tucson Citizen - April 14, 2009
Update posted on Apr 15, 2009 - 8:23AM |
A Florence man who reportedly dragged his horse behind his vehicle and used a piece of pipe to beat the animal will face one charge of animal cruelty, according to the Pinal County Attorney's Office.
An officer witnessed Gordon Allen Bates drag the horse behind his truck with a strap used for towing vehicles at his home Aug. 4, a Pinal County sheriff's report shows. His 13-year-old daughter also reportedly kicked the animal in the head while yelling at it to get up from the ground, according to the report.
Once rescued, the horse was treated for injuries, including the removal of the tow strap that had been embedded in its neck, as well as several scrapes and bruises from being dragged by the vehicle, the report shows.
Bates will face a judge Dec. 10 on one charge of animal cruelty, a Class 6 felony, according to county attorney spokesman Kostas Kalaitzidis. Gordon told officers he was beating the animal because it wouldn't obey him, according to the report.
The animal was turned over to the state Department of Agriculture. | Source: East Valley Tribune - Nov 19, 2008
Update posted on Nov 23, 2008 - 11:28PM |
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