A Squaw Valley couple were sentenced Friday to prison for the deadly neglect of two horses and the starving of three others.
In July, Phillip and Mary Black were the first people found guilty of felony animal cruelty charges by a Fresno County jury.
Those jurors heard investigators give an appalling description of how they found the couple's five horses in April 2002.
Abby, Angel and Charlie wobbled unprotected in a small corral, their wounded and infected hoofs submerged in manure and mud.
Pink and swollen eyelids blinded the horses. They had been starved. Rib and hindquarter bones bulged underneath dingy coats.
The carcasses of Chief and Carmel rotted in separate corners of the corral. A swarm of flies and other insects surrounded the carcasses.
"Maggots were moving from the dead bodies to the live horses," prosecutor Kathy Marousek said.
Despite the condition of the live horses, the owners continued to ride the tired animals: "skin and bones stumbling down the street, and it was in agony with every step," Marousek said.
"I've been handling animal cruelty cases for Fresno County since 1998," she said. "This is the worst case of animal neglect that has been brought to my attention. ... This is a course of conduct that took place for months or years."
Angel died six weeks after being removed from the Blacks' care. Evidence did not indicate that the Blacks' care contributed to the mare's death.
Charlie is blind in one eye, but along with Abby has recovered from injuries. Within one week, they each had gained back about 100 pounds and have gained more weight since.
Phillip Black, 46, was sentenced to two years in prison, and Mary Black, 53, received a 16-month term for neglecting the five horses.
The Blacks' attorneys argued before the sentencing that their clients were in bad health, have psychological issues and lack the finances to care for their horses.
"If we look at the totality of the situation, everybody up there was suffering," Phillip Black's attorney, Ron Perring, said. "There was no intent to abuse. They took on more than they were capable of doing."
Mary Black's attorney, Randall Shrout, echoed Perring, saying that probation with conditions that the defendants no longer own animals would be more just.
Asked whether she wanted to speak, Mary Black partially apologized for the horses' conditions.
"I think at least some of the charges I shouldn't be guilty of," she said. "I'm truly sorry if we caused any further damage to these animals."
Phillip Black was defiant as he asked a question of the prosecutor: "We know that you're a horse lover. ... Would you give an animal a bath knowing you don't have a proper place to do it?"
Judge Robert H. Oliver said it would be improper for Marousek to answer. Then the judge told his reasoning for handing down the prison terms.
Oliver said he took into account the medical conditions of the couple. Phillip Black is on several medications and is bipolar and has symptoms of schizophrenia. Mary Black has significant health issues and is taking about 35 prescription medicines.
Explaining Mary Black's sentence, Oliver noted the woman has an extensive formal education in animal and equine husbandry.
Further, Black had been contacted several times by authorities in the past 10 years about how she cared for her dogs.
He then ordered her to report to the Fresno County Jail by noon Aug. 22.
About Phillip Black, Oliver noted he testified to his experience caring for horses and other animals while working for a circus and at a racetrack.
Oliver also pointed out Phillip Black's two previous convictions for misdemeanor and felony spousal abuse.
Earlier in the sentencing, Marousek said studies have shown a "very strong connection between animal abuse and human abuse."
Oliver sentenced Phillip Black to two years in prison, for which he has 319 days credit for time served.
The Blacks also must pay restitution of $2,391 to those who have cared for the horses since the couple's arrests. References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
|
