A Westmoreland man has been cited for animal cruelty after three horses and two mules were found stranded in an old barn on his property. The Sumner County Sheriff's Department Friday cited Lloyd McCormick, the owner of the barn located just off Highway 52.
McCormick apologized for the conditions the animals were living in, saying he was out of town when the animals were removed from the barn Friday, Sheriff�s Department Maj. Don Linzy said.
Linzy added McCormick had asked another person to care for the animals.
�They�ve done me dirty from every point,� McCormick said. �I�ve played music all over the world, and I�ve always left someone in charge of my stock while I was gone. I had hay and feed and corn and water out there for them, and I can prove it.�
Saying he paid $5,000 for the pair of mules, �it would be crazy for me not to take care of them.�
�I understood that I had someone watching and taking care of my stock. I have owned and cared for stock all my life,� he said.
Sheriff�s Department officials removed the horses from the barn after agricultural extension agent Steve McNeil ruled they fit the criteria for neglect.
McNeil works with the sheriff�s department on a regular basis, Linzy said.
�His knowledge of horses and other animal care has enabled us to better handle these cases,� Linzy said.
Linzy alleged that the horses had not been out of the barn in many months. Two of the horses, he added, were standing on a pile of hay and manure so high that the horses heads were touching the roof of the barn.
�They were really not malnourished, they were just living in terrible conditions where they could not be out of the weather or safely stand straight up,� Linzy said.
�If the horses had been spooked they might have raised up and hit the nails coming through the roof above their heads.
The animals are currently being tested for any diseases and have been taken to another farm where they will be cared for pending the outcome of the court action, Linzy said.
Linzy is asking that anyone who sees or suspects a case of animal neglect or cruelty should call the Sumner County Sheriff�s Department. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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