Horse neglect - 7 seized Appling, GA (US) Incident Date: Friday, Jul 15, 2005 County: Appling Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Case Images: 2 files available Alleged: James Leonard Baxley

Case ID: 5035 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: horse View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

An Appling man was arrested on the afternoon of July 15 on animal cruelty charges after police say he did not feed some of his horses. James Leonard Baxley, 62, of Rance Perry Road in Appling, was charged with seven counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals under the state Humane Treatment of Equines Act after seven of his nine horses were impounded by the Georgia Department of Agriculture that afternoon.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture impounded seven unhealthy horses from an Appling residence. Their owner was arrested."They are not the worst I've seen, but they are pretty bad," said Linda Fulmer, Columbia County's Animal Care and Control manager, who assisted the Department of Agriculture in seizing the horses.

A Department of Agriculture inspector alerted the Columbia County Sheriff's Office about negligent care of the horses at Mr. Baxley's home. They found seven horses that were starving and suffering from dehydration, a Columbia County Animal Care and Control report stated. Two more horses on the property were in a pasture and were healthy, Mrs. Fulmer said.

Mrs. Fulmer said the horses, kept in pens, had no hay or pasture and their water buckets were dirty.

"We have had difficulty with him once before," Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said.

Mrs. Fulmer said Mr. Baxley was given a warning in December 2003 and had 14 horses taken from his property in January 2004. Mr. Baxley received a fine and a suspended sentence, and some of the horses were returned to him after rehabilitation.

Usually in negligent cases or those in which the Department of Agriculture's orders are not followed, cases are settled in a private hearing. Otherwise, charges are filed in civil court, Mr. Irvin said.

"It will be very difficult to get the horses back," Mr. Irvin said.

The horses were impounded. One went to an impound stable in Decatur, Ga., and the other six will remain at Columbia County Animal Care and Control for another week awaiting more room at the Decatur stables. After they are put on a nourishment program and nursed back to health, Mr. Irvin said, the horses likely will be sold at a state auction.

"We'll rehabilitate the horses and offer them to someone who loves horses and will take care of them," he said.

Mr. Baxley remained in the Columbia County Detention Center on the night of July 15 on a $7,700 bond, according to jail personnel. He will face the misdemeanor charges in Columbia County Superior Court. A trial date has not been set.

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References

	Augusta Chronicle - July 16, 2005
	The Horse.Com - July 25, 2005

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