Adopted mustangs neglected, one found dead
Dewey, IL (US)Date: Nov 2, 2005
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Abuser names unreleased
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A mustang filly has been taken into custody by a rural Dewey horse rescue organization after it was discovered starving at a rural Bement farm. A second companion horse was found dead at the scene.
The owner of the two horses, a man from Monticello, has received citations from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for denying the horses food and veterinary care and for inhumane treatment. Officials from the Federal Bureau of Land Management were investigating the situation on Nov 7, 2005 for possible federal citations, and the Piatt County state's attorney's office was studying the case for possible indictments. The man's name is being withheld until those investigations are completed.
Linda Hewerdine, the founder of the Society of Hooved Animals' Rescue and Emergency, a horse rescue organization based in Dewey, received calls late on the night of Nov 2 (one from the University of Illinois Large Animal Clinic and one from the Champaign County Humane Society) about the condition of two horses on a farm between Atwood and Bement.
Hewerdine is a certified animal investigator for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
"The women were frantic about the horses," Hewerdine said. "They said they had no food or water and that one of them was dead."
When Hewerdine arrived at the scene early Nov 3, she saw one thin, chestnut-colored baby filly in distress.
"She appears to be about 14 months old," Hewerdine said.
Near her was a companion mustang, under 2 years old, dead on the ground.
"The horse was very, very thin, and it appeared it had been left there to die," Hewerdine said. "I could tell it had thrashed around in the dirt before it collapsed. Nobody lived there but the abandoned horses. We talked to a neighbor who told us the owner had left it there to die."
Hewerdine said she identified both horses as wild mustangs adopted from the Federal Bureau of Land Management.
"You can tell when they have been adopted from the Federal government because they have a freeze brand on their necks," Hewerdine said. "The bureau uses dry ice to apply the brand on the horses' necks, and each brand includes a code number."
According to Bureau of Land Management records, the Monticello man adopted the two horses in February.
Hewerdine took photos and videotaped the scene and called the Department of Agriculture, which notified the horses' owner that he had 12 hours to provide food and water to the remaining horse before it would be seized.
Hewerdine said conditions had not improved when she returned on Nov 4, and the Bureau of Land Management gave her the authority to seize the horses.
The dead horse was buried, and the filly was taken to the society's rescue ranch in rural Dewey, where volunteers have been trying to nourish the horse back to health.
Hewerdine said the Bureau of Land Management has asked the Dewey rescue organization to try to find an adoptive home for the filly. Persons interested in adopting the horse may call (217) 897-1435 for adoption information. References« Back to Search Results Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges. For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.
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