Aging burro neglected, euthanized Potter Valley, CA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Sep 6, 2010 County: Mendocino
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Guiness McFadden
Potter Valley rancher Guiness McFadden will not be prosecuted on animal abuse charges for putting down his aging wild burro, but will do community service, pay a fine in the form of a $1,000 donation to a donkey rescue organization and write a letter of apology for euthanizing the donkey and taking responsibility for its neglected condition.
The agreement was announced Wednesday [Sept 8, 2010] afternoon by DA Meredith Lintott and McFadden's attorney Keith Faulder.
McFadden was reported to authorities when a PG&E worker near his property saw the wild burro - which McFadden had saved through a BLM adoption 35 years ago - with severely overgrown hooves and a tumor. When authorities were called to his ranch and saw the animal, McFadden was told by a deputy of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department to put the animal out of its misery but was later accused of neglect and cruelty after he shot the burro himself.
A press release issued jointly by Lintott and Faulder indicates that they agreed there was no purpose in prosecuting a 73-year-old Navy veteran with a long history of good care for his ranch animals and community service. References |