Twelve neglected horses, five sheep seized
Grand Island, NY (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008
County: Erie
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available
Alleged: Peter Sparks
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
The SPCA hauled away 12 horses and five sheep, and charged the animals' owner with animal cruelty, an investigation sparked by citizen complaints.
Michael Armatys, SPCA Chief Investigator, said, "The nature of the complaint was emaciated and malnourished horses that were alleged by the complainants."
Investigators said the owner of Spark's Trading Post, Peter Sparks, has more than 50 animals on his farm and stable, but it is the 17 that were in various stages of malnutrition, or in need of medical attention, that they are taking into custody.
Armatys continues, "The animals will be held at the SPCA, pending further investigation by the veterinarian examination, and it will be up to the courts what happens after that."
Officials only seized animals owned by Peter Sparks. The Trading Post is a riding and boarding stable, but officials said the other animals seemed to be in better shape than Sparks'.
Officials tell the stable owner has a long history of scrapes with the SPCA, town zoning officials, and the state Department of Agriculture.
"Most of it has been resolved by advice, or getting a veterinarian out here, changing some feed habits, etc. He has always been cooperative," said Armatys.
Peter Sparks said he has saved horses and brought them back to his stables, and he will clear his name.
"I have a lot of people that have been riding here, families upon families for a lot of years. I am just a good hard-working man. I don't know what else to say!"
Sparks now faces 17 counts of animal cruelty. He is due in Grand Island Town Court in two weeks.
Case UpdatesAnimal cruelty charges against a Grand Island stable owner will be dismissed next year as long as he complies with court-ordered restrictions on some of the horses in his care.
Peter L. Sparks accepted an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal �" with conditions �" offered late last month by the Erie County district attorney's office.
Sparks was charged in August with 17 counts of animal cruelty involving a dozen horses and five sheep removed from Sparks Trading Post, his Bedell Road business. State police received tips from people claiming the animals were being mistreated; employees of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals alleged the animals were malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from untreated medical conditions.
Under the terms of the arrangement, the horses will be subject to monthly inspections by the SPCA through next April. An earlier court order gave the SPCA access to Sparks' property as the legal proceedings continued.
"Our plan right now is to visit once a month," Beth Shapiro, who coordinates animal cruelty investigations for the SPCA, said Wednesday. The first visit is expected to be scheduled later this month.
During those announced visits, equine experts will examine the horses' teeth, general condition and weight, Shapiro said.
"The goal is for him to just keep plugging away and really start taking care of his horses," Shapiro said. "Hopefully, he's on that right track now."
Sparks didn't return a call Wednesday seeking comment.
In September, Grand Island Town Justice Mark J. Frentzel ordered that the 12 horses be returned to Sparks because the SPCA lacked facilities to care for them for an extended period. But their number is now down to eight.
Dodie was euthanized shortly after returning to Grand Island. More recently, Nipper, Destiny and Alice met similar fates because of illnesses.
The adjournment includes conditions covering some of the remaining horses: Old Yeller cannot be ridden, and Roman and Stanley must be evaluated before anyone rides them.
Had Sparks not sold off the sheep that were part of the cruelty case, the order would have included stipulations on their care. | Source: Buffalo News- May 7, 2009
Update posted on May 8, 2009 - 10:01PM |
Grand Island businessman pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charges
Peter Sparks walked out of Grand Island Town Court on Wednesday night to the cheers and applause from a large crowd of supporters.
Minutes before, the group had packed the courtroom of Town Justice Mark Frenzel as Sparks was arraigned on 17 counts of animal cruelty. He entered a plea of not guilty.
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming out tonight," he said. "But I still need your support. We got a pretty good defense lined up, but it ain't over yet."
Then looking at his defense attorney Patrick Wesp, Sparks smiled and said, "I'd like to say more, but you know my attorney and he's the boss."
Moments before Wesp had told reporters Sparks would not speak to the news media.
The owner of Sparks' Trading Post will be back in court sometime during the second week of September for a hearing on a request by the Erie County SPCA that he pony up a bond of more than $9,000 to cover medical care and boarding costs for the 12 horses and five sheep that investigators seized from Sparks' collection of animals on Aug. 12.
SPCA investigators and the State Police raided Spark's Bedell Road stables that day after receiving a complaint from someone who had visited there. The investigators said Sparks appeared to have about 50 horses, a herd of sheep, some llamas, chickens and geese on his property.
SPCA Chief Investigator Michael Armatys described the sheep as "emaciated" and said the horses "had various conditions and ailments." Armatys said Wednesday that all the animals are still in the SPCA's custody and are still receiving veterinary care.
"They're doing better, though," the investigator said.
Wesp took issue with the investigators description of the horses, saying, "All I've seen is pictures of 35-year-old horses that weren't used for riding, being led out (of the trading post property)."
Signs at the trading post indicate that the business is open for horseback riding, as well as providing pony rides.
Sparks' lawyer also told Frenzel he will attack the search warrant used by police and SPCA investigators to enter the trading post property and seize the animals.
"I've reviewed the (search) warrant and it meets the requirements of the Agriculture and Markets Law, but because this is a criminal case it must meet constitutional requirements and it falls far short of that," Wesp said.
Frenzel set a court date of Oct. 8 to hear arguments on motions in the criminal case.
Wesp told Sparks' supporters that the bond hearing will also be a critically important part of the case. He urged them to be ready to show more support for his client.
"At the bond hearing we hope to show that, by a preponderance of the evidence, that (the SPCA) had no basis to seize the animals," Wesp said. "My opinion is, it's a backdoor attempt to gain possession of the horses."
However, SPCA attorney Thomas Viksjo said the agency is entitled to be reimbursed for the cost of caring for Sparks' animals.
"The SPCA can file a bond basically to cover their expenses till the criminal charges are taken care of," Viksjo said.
Viksjo said those expenses currently stand at $9,442.50.
Armatys said Sparks has no prior animal cruelty arrests. He said a veterinarian who accompanied investigators during the trading post raid made the determination of which animals to seize.
The raid was not the SPCA's first visit to Sparks' business.
"We've been out here in the past for investigations," Armatys said. "We've been out before to advise (Sparks) on veterinary care and proper feeding and he's pretty much complied." | Source: Grand Island Record - Aug 29, 2008
Update posted on Aug 29, 2008 - 7:33PM |
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