Hoarding - 11 horses seized, one found dead
Easton, PA (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 13, 2008
County: Northampton

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Joseph T. Mayer

Pennsylvania SPCA agents raided Hollo Road Stables on Saturday after a neighbor reported a dead pony lying at the side of the road near the township farm, an organization spokeswoman said Monday night.

The stable owner, Joseph Mayer, whose last known address was in Bethlehem, was twice convicted of animal cruelty charges in 2001 and 2005.

Kim Wolf, from the Philadelphia headquarters of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said 11 small ponies and a donkey were removed from the farm. Four ponies went to a PSPCA facility near Wellsboro, Pa. The rest of the animals were taken to Philadelphia, where they were treated by veterinarians then placed in foster care. They "cannot be adopted at this time due to the pending court case," Wolf said.

Mayer faces 38 citations -- 36 relate to the live animals and include "unsanitary conditions, lack of veterinary care and lack of sustenance," Wolf said. The other two charges of lack of veterinarian care relate to the dead pony found by the neighbor.

Wolf said Mayer will be arraigned by a district judge in the Easton area later this week. Mayer could not be reached for comment on the charges.

When SPCA law enforcement officers reached the farm, they found the dead pony.

"They obtained a search warrant based on that find," Wolf said, "and entered the property."

Asked if they encountered Mayer, Wolf said, "They did interact with him."

PSPCA director of investigations George Bengal said in a news release Monday, "We have received ongoing complaints from neighbors about this property for years.

"Approximately five years ago the Monroe County SPCA seized several horses from the 5-acre property in the 3900 block of Hollo Road and the owner was prosecuted for animal cruelty," Bengal said. "The judge ruled in the owner's favor and the horses were returned to his care."

One neighbor said Monday night she didn't want to reveal her name because she fears retaliation from Mayer.

"He is not a stable man," she said.

She said she's been living nearby long enough to see what's going on and the condition of the horses.

"Everybody who drives by the property complains about it."

Wolf indicated PSPCA agents have had their eyes on Mayer ever since they lost the Monroe County case.

"Once we get a tip," she said, "we investigate."

References

• « PA State Animal Cruelty Map

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