The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is investigating a case of animal cruelty one veterinarian calls perhaps the worst such case she has ever seen. Witnesses who live near Gaulding Road in Fannett called the Sheriff's Department on the evening of April 15, to report seeing a man driving a truck with a horse tied to the back.
When deputies arrived, they found a horse tied to the back of a man's truck and the animal appeared to have been dragged down the street.
Veterinarian Kelley Kays says she has never seen a case like this one. She says the animal's skin was burned from being dragged along the pavement. Doctor Kays says the horse's hooves were worn through the soles, leaving bone exposed.
She says she gave the horse an I.V. and medication to keep the animal from going into shock, but she says it didn't work and the animal died hours later. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, the horse's owner could face criminal charges.
Melancon, Jefferson County livestock officer, testified in a hearing where Justice of the Peace Ray Chesson determined the county acted properly in taking the horse Saturday evening. The animal died between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. Sunday.
The shoeless horse had been saddled and bridled with its reins tied to the trailer hitch of a half-ton pickup as the owner, Victor Guillory, drove down the road at an estimated 25 mph to 30 mph Saturday, Melancon said based on statements from more than a dozen witnesses.
Blood marred the asphalt starting six-tenths of a mile from the owner's driveway and continued for another two miles, Melancon said. Drag marks started about 50 feet from where the horse fell, Melancon said.
Animal cruelty charges have not been filed against Guillory but are expected after the sheriff's department completes its investigation, Assistant District Attorney Ann Manes said. If a conviction results, the maximum penalty would be two years in a state jail.
Chesson told Guillory he is responsible for costs the county incurred caring for the animal - $534.46 for veterinary care, $200 for a farrier and $75 for transportation.
"Whatever happened, I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't do it intentionally," Guillory, 49, told Chesson.
Melancon, livestock officer for the past two years, said the case is "one of the worst ones I have worked."
He called community members heroes. Neighbors arrived to help care for the horse Saturday, shooing away mosquitoes and hauling in water to cool him down. The farrier, who tried to pick asphalt from the horse's hooves, and veterinarian Kelley Kays also worked hard, he said.
"When you see the vet cry and you see the farrier cry, it touches your heart," Melancon said.
Guillory's wife, Kathy Guillory, said by telephone after the hearing that her husband was trying to exercise the horse before allowing children to ride him at a family barbecue. He didn't know the horse, named Bobby, had collapsed at first and did not know the condition of the horse's feet, she said.
"We've been having Bobby about 12 years. He was like part of the family," Kathy Guillory said. She said she is thankful for the efforts of the veterinarian and neighbors to help Bobby.
Cindy Meyers, board president for the Humane Society of Southeast Texas, said she wants to see Guillory prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
"It's heartbreaking. It's truly heartbreaking the suffering and the torture and pain this horse had to go through," Meyers said. Case Updates| On April 20, the public information officer stated that they would be filing felony charges | | Update posted on Apr 21, 2005 - 7:03AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References | KFDM - April 19, 2005 |  | The Beaumont Enterprise |
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