A woman accused of neglecting several dozen horses this year in Murray County has reached a plea agreement that will keep her out of jail. Prosecutors cut a deal with Barbara Knight�May 4, 2004,�just before a preliminary hearing for charges of neglect.
Deputies say Knight originally had 52 horses in her care on 40 acres, but over the past few months, 13 died. That left 29 animals that were in what deputies called �terrible shape.� They confiscated the horses in early March and arrested Knight.
The plea deal gives Knight a one year deferred sentence. Prosecutors say she got that deal because they believed she did not intentionally starve the horses but instead did not know how to properly take care of them. Part of the plea agreement calls for her to submit weekly horse feed receipts to the DA�s office as well as a monthly report by a court specified veterinarian that the horses are being kept in proper condition.
If knight fails to meet the demands of the court, prosecutors plan on trying her for animal cruelty, which carries a punishment of five years in prison. Case UpdatesKnight completed a one-year deferred sentence out of Murray County in 2005 after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges involving a number of horses she had neglected.
Murray County District Attorney�s office records show Knight was ordered to follow a strict set of guidelines in regard to her 2004 deferred sentence.
After pleading guilty to neglecting several horses, Knight was ordered to provide the court with monthly veterinarian bills and monthly feed store receipts to show that her animals were being properly cared for. Records show she completed that one-year term successfully.
Knight was arrested again in July 2007 for the neglect of 25 dogs and 10 cats. Click here for more on that case. | Source: Ada Evening News - July 17, 2007
Update posted on Jul 17, 2007 - 11:59AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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