Two men accused of animal neglect and cruelty in the death of a horse were given suspended sentences and community service.
Bill Wargo, chief investigator for the Elkhart County Prosecutor's office, said Cecil Bontrager hired 24-year-old Enos Miller to train the horse to walk on a lead. On April 2, 2003, a call from a neighbor sent the Indiana State Police to Bontrager's home on C.R 31.
In an attempt to train the animal, Miller was pulling it behind a vehicle in a field, Wargo said. "It fell several times" and eventually suffered a broken neck, Wargo said.
Animal care professionals determined the horse had been abused, and charges were filed in December 2003, according to Wargo and court records.
After pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal neglect, Bontrager, 58, was given a suspended sentence of 180 days with six months of non-reporting probation and 150 hours community service.
Miller, of W. S.R. 120, Shipshewana, entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of animal cruelty and was given a suspended sentence of 18 months with an equal term of reporting probation, court fines, costs and 250 hours of community service. References« Back to Search Results
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