7 Malnourished Horses Seized
Carlton County, MN (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 8, 2004
County: Carlton
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Terry Liebeck
» Charlene Liebeck
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Charges have been filed against one man and are pending against his wife after a long-running investigation of animal neglect in Carlton County.
Terry Liebeck of Twin Lakes Township has been charged with six counts of cruelty to animals.
The same misdemeanor charges have been drafted in state District Court in Carlton County against his wife, Charlene, and are expected to be formally filed promptly.
Seven horses were confiscated from property the Liebecks own near Kettle River, the result of an investigation that started in December 2002.
The horses lacked shelter, food and water; were infested with lice and parasites; and had untrimmed, deformed hooves, said Wade Hanson of the Humane Society for Companion Animals, which was assigned to the case.
The horses were so malnourished that their growth was stunted, veterinarians said. At least one was near death. Another horse that was too wild to be put in a trailer remains loose after it jumped the fence and escaped.
"There were eight very thin horses confined in a 40- by 60-foot dirt lot with a fence around it. The worst part was it was surrounded by grass, but they couldn't get at it," said Taryn Dentinger, an Esko veterinarian who assisted at the scene.
Hanson and Carlton County deputies executed a search warrant to remove seven horses June 1. Six were taken to the University of Minnesota's large-animal hospital in the Twin Cities.
"We use a scale from 1 to 9, with 9 being nice and chubby and healthy and 1 being the worst. Several of these had body conditions of 1," said veterinarian Julia Wilson, large-animal medicine division leader at the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. "They didn't have very long to go before they keeled over and died."
Another horse was in worse shape, laying on the ground when officials arrived and unable to move. It is receiving care from Dentinger and fellow Esko veterinarian Alexia LaPlante.
"She was too weak to get up by herself. We had to drag her into the trailer... and borrow a hoist from the University to get her up," Dentinger said. "She's alive. She's eating. I think she might make it."
Hanson and Carlton County court officials said it was at least the second time horses and other animals had to be removed from the Liebecks' care.
All seven confiscated horses are under the care of the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation, a nonprofit based in Zimmerman, Minn.
If a judge agrees that the animals should not be returned to the couple, they will be put up for adoption.
The charges stem from violations at the Liebecks' property Feb. 18. State statutes are specific about providing adequate food, water, shelter, hoof care and medical care to horses and other animals. Each count is a misdemeanor that carries a fine up to $1,000 and a jail sentence of up to 90 days.
Officials involved in the case said that the Liebecks had more than 18 months to resolve the situation but that the horses fell into worse health over time. Most disturbing, they said, was the lack of quality food available despite repeated warnings.
LaPlante said that the case had been borderline for more than a year on whether the animals should be removed, but that their care crossed the line to neglect this year.
"We can't remove horses for having worms. Unfortunately, they have to be near death," she said.
In an inspection report from Feb. 20, LaPlante wrote that there were 14 horses, six sheep, three dogs and several cats on the small property.
Drew Fitzpatrick, director of the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation, said her organization handles about 200 unwanted or neglected horses each year. The number of horses forcibly removed from owners is increasing, she said.
"The key is to get the law enforcement community and the legal system to take the state statutes seriously," Fitzpatrick said. "What we really need in these cases is the judge to say that these people just can't have animals again. Period. That they've lost their right to abuse animals ever again."
Case UpdatesCharline Liebeck was slated to appear in Carlton County Court last Friday morning for a pretrial hearing. Just prior to her court appearance, however, she signed a certficate of representation with attorney Scott Belfrey. Belfrey told the court he had not had time to prepare for the hearing but indicated that Liebeck has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
Judge Dale Wolf agreed to postpone the hearing until September 20 at 9:30 a.m. Each of the six charges against the Liebecks are punishable by up to 90 days in prison and/or a $1,000 fine. | Source: The Pine Journal 8/4/04
Update posted on Aug 5, 2004 - 4:46PM |
References« Back to Search Results
« More cases in Carlton County, MN
|
