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Case #14507 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
Horse neglect - 28 seized
Arvada, CO (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 1, 2007
County: Jefferson
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 2 files available
Defendant/Suspect: John McCulley
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Authorities raided a ranch in rural Jefferson County this morning and seized 28 horses, several of them severely malnourished. The horses were on the ranch of John McCulley, who was not home during the raid at 12601 W. 82nd Ave.
About two weeks ago, Jefferson County authorities got a tip on the condition of the horses and warned McCulley that they would be confiscated if he didn't fix the problem.
When they checked on Wednesday, the horses were still in poor shape. So sheriff's deputies, animal-control officials, veterinarians and others swooped in this morning to rescue them.
The horses were checked out and then taken to area ranches, where they will be nursed to better health. Several needed immediate medical attention.
"It's always overwhelming when you first walk in and see them, but then you just have to take a deep breath and do what you have to do," said Ingrid Spikker, one of several volunteers of the Jefferson County Horse Evacuation Assistance Team, which helped in the raid.
Many of the horses suffered from severe hoof pain, as their hooves had not been trimmed in months or even years. The horses struggled to make it into the trailers that were used to transport them to the foster ranches.
McCulley could not be reached for comment. Authorities say he will be cited for at least 28 counts of cruelty to animals, all misdemeanor charges.
He has 10 days to post a $500 bond on each of the horses, then he can temporarily retain them or they'll stay in the care of the county until a judge decides what to do with them, sheriff's spokesman Jim Shires said.
Animal-control officer Christine Brooks said she spoke to McCulley's wife recently and asked her why the horses were in such bad shape. "They didn't see a problem," Brooks said.
The condition of the animals even shook some rescuers, many of whom have seen these types of conditions in the past but not on such a large scale. Some of the horses' ribs were clearly visible. Another was so malnourished that a large bone from his hind quarter protruded.
The horses quickly gobbled up the grain volunteers feed them.
Ashleigh Olds, a veterinarian for Aspen Creek Large Animal Clinic in Conifer, said some of the hooves were the worst she had ever seen.
"It could take months or years to get these feet back to normal," she said of one of the horses, which had cracked, enlarged hooves.
Twenty-two of the horses belong to McCulley. The other six were being boarded there.
Brooks said some of the owners hadn't seen their horses in months, while at least one was a friend of the McCulleys who knew that the horses were in bad shape, "but not that bad."
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has not yet decided what will happen to the horses. For now, officials are asking anyone who wants to help to donate money to the Table Mountain Animal Center, 4105 Youngfield Service Road, Golden, CO 80401. The phone number is 303-278-7575. They are asking for money because the horses will need special feed and medicine.
Case UpdatesA Colorado man will serve one year in a work release program for maltreating 17 horses on his Jefferson County ranch.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputies seized the animals from their owner, John McCulley, in May 2009 after a tipster reported seeing a downed horse on the property. County animal control officers and a veterinarian deemed the animals emaciated, in need of dental and farrier care, and suffering from rashes and infections.
The seized horses were among 28 animals removed from McCulley's ranch in June 2007. McCulley regained custody of the horses in 2008 after a judge ruled the warrant for their seizure was flawed.
Following the 2009 seizure, McCulley was charged with one count of felony aggravated animal cruelty and multiple misdemeanor animal cruelty counts. He later pleaded guilty to the felony charge.
On May 28, Jefferson County District Court Judge Jane Tidball sentenced McCulley to one year in the county jail work release program, five years intensive supervision probation. She also ordered that he have no contact with animals, and to take animal abuse prevention classes.
The horses now reside in adoptive homes. | Source: thehorse.com - Jun 9, 2010
Update posted on Jun 11, 2010 - 2:03PM |
A Jefferson County rancher who has repeatedly been investigated for animal abuse the past three years pleaded guilty this week to two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in connection with a probe of his treatment of animals in 2007.
John Wilmarth McCulley Jr. could receive up to 18 months in jail on each of the counts, according to Pam Russell, spokesperson for the Jefferson County district attorney's office.
However, McCulley still faces a felony aggravated-cruelty charge based on an investigation surrounding abuse of 17 horses that were seized in May.
In the more recent case, investigators allege that McCulley dragged a malnourished and mistreated horse 60 feet through a pasture with his pickup truck.
According to the district attorney's office, McCulley tied a rope to the neck of a horse named Blue, connected it to his pickup and drove quickly out of a pasture.
In the older 2007 case, in which he pleaded guilty on Monday, the Jefferson County sheriff's office received a complaint concerning the condition of horses on McCulley's property. Animal-control officers went out and found 27 horses and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig to be in serious condition.
They appeared malnourished and mistreated, according to investigators. There was no hay, little grazing available and no fresh water. The horses were underweight, their coats were matted and not groomed and their hooves were untrimmed.
McCulley was given a warning and an opportunity resolve the situation, said Russell. Ultimately, however, the 27 horses were seized in June 2007 when McCulley failed to provide the care that had been ordered.
Jefferson County Judge Charles Hoppin returned the horses to McCulley in August 2008.
This May, following another call to McCulley's property, 17 horses again were seized, many of them the same animals that had been returned to McCulley in August 2008.
McCulley forfeited his rights to the horses in June, and all 17 have been adopted out.
Hoppin will sentence McCulley on the misdemeanor case at 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 16. | Source: Denver Post - Aug 22, 2009
Update posted on Aug 23, 2009 - 7:18PM |
The 28 horses allegedly neglected by a Jefferson County rancher have been returned to him, but he still faces charges at a trial slated to begin Sept. 25.
John McCulley is charged with 27 counts of animal cruelty arising from allegations that he neglected, but did not physically abuse, the horses on his property northwest of Arvada.
The horses were returned last week after the Jefferson County district attorney's office lost its appeals of a judge's decision that sheriff's deputies illegally entered a door to remove the horses.
County Judge Charles Hoppin "found that it had been an unlawful search and seizure," said Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. "We were on the property legally, but it was illegal to go past the door to take the animals."
Meanwhile, Hildy Armour of Colorado Horse Rescue applauded McCulley for recently agreeing to let someone adopt one of the horses. "We're pleased," she said. "He did a very nice thing."
McCulley did not return telephone calls Thursday.
Russell said when deputies arrived at the ranch about a year ago, they found that there was no food for the horses.
A veterinarian testified that the horses all were thin. | Source: Rocky Mountain News - Sept 4, 2008
Update posted on Sep 6, 2008 - 1:22PM |
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