Eight starving horses seized
Maricopa, AZ (US)Incident Date: Friday, Aug 21, 2009
County: Pinal
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Becky Woodruff
Pinal County sheriff's deputies arrested a woman on animal cruelty charges after they discovered eight starving horses, police said.
Maricopa resident Becky Woodruff, 38, faces 18 counts of animal cruelty.
"Many of these horses here have worms; their hooves are exceptionally long," said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu. "Many of them were near death, and so this literally was a rescue."
Deputies searched the four-acre ranch Thursday night after receiving several anonymous tips, Babeu said.
Agents from animal control also took Woodruff's five dogs, four goats and a pig.
"They found there was no food," Babeu said. "These animals were in very sad shape."
Woodruff's 21-year-old son who did not want to be identified, however, insisted the animals were not neglected.
The animals were very old and destined for slaughter before his mother rescued them, he said.
The sheriff's office said old age is not an excuse for neglect.
"We're making a big deal about this to let everybody else know, 'Hey, you could be arrested for this. You could be booked into jail for this and face criminal charges,'" Babeu said.
The sheriff's office is hoping people in the community will adopt the horses and the dogs. The office is also asking for donations of hay and extra corral panels in order to keep all the horses out of the sun. References« AZ State Animal Cruelty Map
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