Seventeen horses abandoned, 4 found dead
Camas Prairie, MT (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jul 18, 2008
County: Sanders
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Andrew L. Scott
A Camas Prairie man accused of abandoning 17 horses without food or water last July has been arrested in Missoula on a felony animal cruelty warrant.
Andrew L. Scott, 80, had apparently been working in Hawaii for the past several months, authorities said, and will now return to Sanders County to face the criminal charges. He is charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and eight misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.
Four horses died as a result of Scott's alleged neglect, while 13 others were left for dead.
As part of a judgment in a civil case, Scott will also be forced to pay $11,473 in restitution to the Sanders County Sheriff's Department. The department has spent about $20,000 sheltering, feeding and finding adoptive homes for the 13 surviving horses, which continue to recover from the stress.
Scott, who was arrested Monday [June 8, 2009] afternoon by city police officers, appeared Tuesday in Missoula County Justice Court over a live video feed from jail. He'll remain jailed on $25,000 bail until he is taken back to Sanders County.
In July 2008, Sanders County Sheriff's Deputy Dave Hedley discovered the 17 horses abandoned on a tract of property in rural Camas Prairie. Two horses were dead, while a third died within an hour of Hedley's arrival; a fourth was in such bad shape it had to be put down. The animals had been without water for an estimated 10 to 15 days, during which time temperatures had been in the 80s and 90s, according to court records. All suffered from equine distemper, or strangles, as well as malnutrition and dehydration.
The ages of the horses ranged from seven weeks to 12 years, Hedley said, and several of the youngest colts suffered permanent growth retardation.
Western Montanans helped the surviving horses by donating money, hay bales and water troughs - aid that was badly needed, Hedley said, as the large number of rescued horses quickly depleted his annual budget of $20,000. That sum includes Hedley's salary as part-time animal control officer for the county.
For six months, the deputy sheriff made the 108-mile round trip between Thompson Falls and Camas Prairie up to three times a week to feed and check on the horses. Most of the travel came out of his own time.
A Missoulian story helped bring in more than $2,600 in public donations to purchase enough hay so the horses could make it through the winter, he said.
"The public has been incredibly helpful and supportive of our quest to nurse these horses back to health and find them adoptive care," Hedley said. "We couldn't have done it without their help, but it's not the community's responsibility to foot the bill and take care of Mr. Scott's horses."
Any money the sheriff's department recoups from Scott will be diverted into a fund for future animal cruelty cases, which Hedley says crop up frequently.
"Any judgment in this case will go into a future fund that the sheriff's office will maintain for other animal cruelty issues that arise. That way we're better prepared for the next crisis, because it's not a matter of if this will happen again, it's a matter of when," Hedley said.
Animal cruelty becomes a felony offense after nine animals have suffered. The eight misdemeanor counts apply to each of the remaining horses. References |
