Horse neglect alleged, one dead
Merrimack, NH (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Sep 23, 2010
County: Merrimack

Disposition: Dismissed

Person of Interest: Karen Ann Fothergill

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

After the death of one horse and neglect to two other horses, a local woman has been arrested on multiple charges of animal cruelty, police said.

Karen Ann Fothergill, 56, of 10 Pine Tree Lane turned herself in to police Friday. Police most recently charged her with one count of animal cruelty, alleging she failed to provide necessary dental work for her 26-year-old Paint horse, Cherokee.

The charge is in addition to four other animal cruelty charges in June that allege Fothergill did not provide necessary medical attention to Lucy, a 16-year-old Saddlebred horse, and Moondancer, a 12-year-old Percheron Morgan cross gelding.

Lucy died in March after her owner allegedly neglected to have her treated for serious stomach problems, according to Dale Childs, animal control officer for the Hampstead Police Department.

"The horse was in a lot of pain, and she had a horrific death," said Childs.

After Lucy died, Childs said, police seized the other two horses, Moondancer and Cherokee. Authorities then determined that Moondancer had been suffering from fibrotic myopathy without any treatment.

As a result, initial charges were brought against Fothergill in June. Last week, police filed the most recent charge, alleging that Fothergill did not provide proper dental treatment to Cherokee for several years. The dental problems were preventing the horse from being able to chew food and eat properly, according to Childs.

"These horses have been neglected," Childs said. "Animals need basic care, and they were not receiving it. It has caused them pain and suffering."

Childs said police tried to persuade Fothergill to relinquish the horses prior to any criminal charges being filed. But the owner was obsessed with keeping the animals even though she could not afford them, Childs said.

"This is a sign of the times. Some people cannot provide basic care for their animals right now," Childs said. "But the fact that you don't have money is not a defense. It is a sad situation."

Fothergill had her three horses boarded at several different places in the past 18 months, according to Childs. Although Fothergill rented the stalls, she was still responsible for providing food and medical care to the animals, Childs said, adding she allegedly did not provide veterinary services when they were requested by the stall owners.

This past summer, the horses were boarded at a Hampstead farm. The farm's owner noticed Lucy's failing health and alerted Fothergill several times, Childs said. The farm owner contacted the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to report the incident, but it was too late, and the horse did not survive, she said. An autopsy was never conducted on the animal.

Fothergill filed a petition in Merrimack District Court attempting to retrieve her horses, but the request was dismissed. Her attorney, Michael Iacopino of Brennan Caron Lenehan and Iacopino in Manchester, was recently assigned to the case.

Yesterday, Iacopino said he would not comment on the charges against his client and recommended that she not discuss the case.

Fothergill will be arraigned Oct. 4 in Plaistow District Court on the most recent cruelty charge, and all five charges will be heard at trial Nov. 1.

Case Updates

References

• « Back to Search Results
  « NH State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Merrimack County, NH

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.