Neglect - 3 horses seized... again.
Tabor City, NC (US)Incident Date: Monday, Sep 6, 2004
County: Columbus
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Otis Joseph Branyn, Jr
Investigators have seized three horses from Otis Joseph Branyn Jr. and charged him with animal cruelty. The action was taken after Columbus County commissioners met Monday afternoon and authorized Lori Daddona and Lisa Hartman of N.C. Equine Rescue to be animal-cruelty investigators for the county.
Branyn, who lives in the 9900 block of Old Stake Road, could not be reached for comment. The horses were kept on property on Hardee Road.
Rossie Hayes, the county animal-control officer, said the charge is a misdemeanor.
Hayes seized two of the same three horses from Ronald and Donna Beck in June of 2003 and charged the Becks, of Miller Road, with animal abuse. A third horse cared for by the Becks died before investigators found them, Hayes said.
The Becks were found not guilty of the abuse charges, and the horses were returned to Branyn, but not before the county incurred more than $4,000 in veterinary and housing expenses for the animals, Hayes said.
Daddona said her organization works with officials in nine southeastern North Carolina counties to protect horses.
Hayes said he received a complaint last month that the horses were not being fed.
Daddona said the horses are in worse condition now than they were when they were seized a year ago. She said the horses would not survive much longer without care. References« NC State Animal Cruelty Map
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