Animal Abuse: Two horses found starving and abandoned - Derry Township, PA

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Case ID: 18477

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: horse

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Attorneys/Judges

Judge(s):

Mark Bilik

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Case #18477

Two horses found starving and abandoned
Derry Township, PA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Aug 24, 2011
County: Westmoreland

Charges: Summary
Disposition: Civil penalty imposed

Defendant/Suspect: Beverly Conely

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A Derry Township woman has been cited for cruelty to animals because humane society officers alleged that two of her horses were seriously malnourished.

Beverly Conely of 27 Brinker St. was cited on Wednesday morning by Jan Dillon, an officer with the Humane Society of Westmoreland County, after the horses were found roaming outside a home on Orchard Drive in Derry Township this month.

The horses were at least 200 pounds underweight and had cracked, uneven hooves, officials said.

Dillon said she received information from three callers about the horses. After Dillon contacted Conley, she agreed to surrender the horses to the Humane Society.

Humane officers were assisted by members of
Dillon said one horse is a 23-year-old dark bay gelding, and the other is a 13-year-old sorrel gelding. Both are Tennessee Walker cross breeds.

A veterinarian believed the horses had been neglected for at least six months and will take about three to four months to recover.

After a 30-day quarantine period, the Humane Society will find new homes for the animals.

Dillon said Conely told her she hadn't noticed the horses were missing.

If found guilty, Conely could be ordered to pay $2,101 for both citations as restitution for veterinarian care, farrier care, board and transportation, according to the citations issued by Derry District Judge Mark Bilik.

Conely can plead not guilty and request a hearing.

Case Updates

A Derry Township woman, whose two malnourished horses were found wandering in August, was found guilty on Friday of cruelty to animals and ordered to pay more than $2,500 in fines and restitution.

Beverly Conley of 27 Brinker St. was cited after Tennessee Walkers Ebony, 20, and Duke, 17, were found roaming outside a home on Orchard Drive in Derry Township on Aug. 13.

Jan Dillon, an officer with the Humane Society of Westmoreland County, told Derry Township District Judge Mark Bilik that she received a call from the owner of the home to report the two horses, who were in "bad shape" when they were retrieved.

Dillon said media coverage prompted three anonymous callers to inform her that Conley was the owner of the animals. On Aug. 16, Dillon said she posted a notice at Conley's home and received a call from the owner the next day.

"I asked (Conley) on the phone if the missing horses were hers and she said no," Dillon said.

Conley, who attended the hearing without an attorney, told Bilik that the horses, who lived on the property of another woman, were provided with food, water and proper care. She provided receipts from a farrier dated from January 2010 to May 2011 for care of the horses' hooves.

Conley said that health issues, including a 20-day hospital stay in June, prevented her from caring for the horses. She said that she had a verbal agreement with the other woman to care for them during her illness. Because the woman was not present at the hearing, Bilik would not allow Conley to address any agreement other than the written one that allowed the horses to stay on the property.

"You could have come here and, for $2.50, had her subpoenaed to be here today," Bilik said to Conley.

Conley, who pleaded not guilty, maintained that she provided everything for the horses.

"I did not starve them," she said. "They had ample food, water, hay and seven acres of pasture.

"I've had animals all my life and I've never been up against animal cruelty charges or anything," Conley said.

Veterinarian Brian Burks of the Fox Run Equine Center in Apollo, who was brought in by Dillon to care for the horses, gave Bilik a summary of the animals' health problems.

"Their body condition, on a scale of one to nine, were a two and a three, with one being skin and bones and nine being obese," Burks testified.

The veterinarian said that the teeth of one horse were so sharp they were "to the point of lacerating the inside of the mouth," which happens when they are neglected. The horses were "full of parasites," Burks said.

Burks said that on Aug. 23, he was called by Dillon because Duke, the younger horse, had an esophageal obstruction after being fed grain for the first time while in the care of the Humane Society.

"He was choking, and it was likely because he had not been given grain in so long. He was starving," Burks said. "It can happen with any horse, but it was likely because he had not seen feed for quite some time."

After the hearing, Conley signed the horses over to the Humane Society. Dillon said the horses are healthy and living in Indiana County with a woman who sold them to Conley three years ago.

Conley was ordered to pay a $300 fine for each horse and restitution costs to the Humane Society that total $2,102.

Source: pittsburghlive.com - Oct 8, 2011
Update posted on Oct 8, 2011 - 6:54PM

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Two horses found starving and abandonedDerry Township, PA (US)

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Two horses found starving and abandoned
Derry Township, PA (US)