Images for this Case
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
more information on voting
When you vote, you are voting on whether or not the punishment fit the crime, NOT on the severity of the case itself. If you feel the sentence was very weak, you would vote 1 star. If you feel the sentence was very strong, you would vote 5 stars.
Please vote honestly and realistically. These ratings will be used a a tool for many future programs, including a "People’s Choice" of best and worst sentencing, DA and judge "report cards", and more. Try to resist the temptation to vote 1 star on every case, even if you feel that 100 years in prison isn’t enough.
Case #6388 Rating: 3.3 out of 5
14 horses, 13 dogs - malnourished
Olympia, WA (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Nov 30, 2005
County: Thurston
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 8 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Paula Jean Nichols
Case Updates: 4 update(s) available
Paula Nichols said she had good intentions. She took in horses that had been abused or neglected and tried to make a new home for them on her 15 acres on Littlerock Road known as Miss Paula's Ranch.
For two years, however, Thurston County authorities warned her that even she wasn't taking proper care of the animals. On Thursday, after fielding more complaints about malnourished animals living in filthy conditions, sheriff's deputies and county Animal Services officers converged on her property with a search warrant.
They seized 14 horses and 13 dogs. Many of the horses appeared below desired weight and some had diseased hooves from standing in thick layers of cold mud and manure, authorities said. At least one had trouble walking.
The investigation culminated after Nichols turned over three horses earlier in the week to Second Chance Ranch, a nonprofit animal rescue agency near Elma. One horse, which had a broken knee and severe arthritis, had to be euthanized. Another had only one eye and bite marks from dogs chewing on his legs. Another was caked in feces, according to the agency.
Officials had informed Nichols of improvements she needed to make to avoid enforcement action, sheriff's Lt. Mike Ware said. Now Nichols' case is being forwarded to the prosecutor's office, which could file charges of animal neglect, he said.
"Basically, we tried to work with her. But things finally got to the point where we couldn't ignore it anymore," said Ware, a horse owner who handles many animal cruelty cases. Nichols, who teaches acting and singing, said many of the horses were in bad shape when she got them, far worse than they are now. Some are older horses, which are tougher to keep at a healthy weight, she said. Nichols said she did her best to help. She kept them fed, going through 5 tons of hay every month, she said. She hired a foreman, gave the animals medicine and had a veterinarian visit last week, she said. She spent $2,000 a month for food and supplies, she said. She cried while officials walked her horses from a large barn to trailers that were backed one by one into her driveway. Her eyes welled with tears as she scooped one of her 13 boxer dogs into a kennel in an Animal Services van. "How would you feel if your family was taken away from you?" she asked, explaining she has no children. "I would never do anything to hurt an animal; they're my babies."
A large problem with the horses was the muddy environment in which they were living. Some horses were knee-deep in mud and manure, causing serious abscesses to fester on their hooves. Some horses' hooves weren't trimmed regularly, causing them to split, which would be akin to a bent-back fingernail, said Sara Perkins, a veterinarian with Equine Medical Services. With good care and nutrition they should heal, she said.
Nichols, a former actress and model who was injured in an elevator accident, said she tried to move the horses around to keep them out of the mud. She conceded it was difficult managing them, but tried to meet the county's demands. Animal cruelty by neglect is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine. Animal Services was called to handle the boxer dogs, which were kept in an unclean kennel in the front yard, authorities said. Nichols had not obtained a kennel license, which she'd been notified is a county requirement for more than 10 dogs, authorities said.
The horses were taken to a stable where they'll be evaluated and cared for. Some will be tested to ensure they have no insidious health problems causing their emaciation, said Connie Patterson, co-founder of Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County, a private organization that arranged for transportation of the animals. She'd rather see people educated than have to face criminal charges, she said.
"I think she's probably got a good heart, but things here got out of hand and she needs help getting things back to manageable."
Case UpdatesA Thurston County woman pleaded guilty Monday to eight counts of second-degree animal cruelty for neglecting the care of horses she said she had rescued.
Under the plea agreement, Paula Nichols received a suspended two-year jail sentence and was fined $8,000, barred from possessing horses for two years and instructed to undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment. The agreement avoided a trial that would have begun Monday in Thurston County Superior Court.
Nichols had faced 16 counts of second-degree animal cruelty after sheriff's deputies and animal rescue workers seized more than a dozen horses from her ranch in Littlerock in December. Earlier, she had surrendered three horses to an Elma rescue group, Second Chance Ranch.
The horses were housed in knee-deep muck and manure. Most were malnourished and some were diseased. Two of the horses had to be euthanized. County authorities said Nichols ignored two years of requests to give the animals medical treatment and make improvements.
Nichols has maintained that she had tried to rescue the animals from worse conditions and got in over her head.
In court, Nichols acknowledged her neglect to care for the horses' hooves was a contributing factor in their health problems, and she should have taken stronger measures to tackle the mud on her property, said her lawyer, David Lousteau.
But he denied any of her actions were intentional.
"There was no evidence of that anywhere in this case," he said.
Second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, occurs when someone knowingly or recklessly inflicts unnecessary pain or suffering on an animal with a lesser degree of intent than first-degree animal-cruelty, a felony.
Nichols has been scorned locally and nationally since word of the seizures got out, Lousteau said.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a national animal rights group, sent a letter to the prosecutor's office, urging Nichols be prohibited from owning animals, if convicted.
Someone left a dead cat on her property with a note pinned on it that read: "This should be you," Lousteau added.
On Aug. 28, the court will hear arguments on whether Nichols must forfeit her right to the horses held in foster care.
Because Nichols can't possess the horses, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Debra Eurich said Nichols would sell the animals if a judge restores her right to ownership.
"She shouldn't be able to profit off her victims," Eurich said.
Lousteau declined to say what his client would do in that situation, but said the state has no right to take ownership of the horses away from her.
Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County has been the legal custodian of the horses during the court proceedings.
Authorities also seized 13 dogs from Nichols' ranch. She was allowed to keep three of them - the maximum allowed in Thurston County without a kennel permit - and farmed the rest of the dogs out, Eurich said.
Eventually, Nichols took possession of all of the dogs, violating the county pet ordinance. In response, the court revoked her right to possess any animals until her case was resolved, the deputy prosecutor said. | Source: The Olympian - July 25, 2006
Update posted on Jul 29, 2006 - 3:36PM |
A woman charged with animal cruelty will not be allowed to own horses while her case is pending, a Thurston County judge has ruled. Paula Nichols, owner of Miss Paula's Ranch north of Littlerock, had petitioned District Court Judge Kip Stilz to return 14 horses and 13 dogs seized from her property during an investigation into complaints about the animals' living conditions. Nichols is charged with 16 counts of second-degree animal cruelty.
After a day and a half of hearings, Stilz ruled on January 13, 2006 that Nichols cannot retake possession of her horses until her case is resolved. However, she will be allowed to get back her 13 dogs, which also were seized because she did not have a kennel license. No charges were filed in connection with the dogs, Deputy Prosecutor Debra Eurich said.
Nichols will be allowed to keep three dogs on her property and must make arrangements for the others until she is properly licensed, Eurich said. Nichols also was ordered to post a bond to pay for the animals' shelter care. The exact amount has not yet been determined, Eurich said.
A trial date has not been set. | Source: The Olympian - January 15, 2006
Update posted on Jan 16, 2006 - 11:42AM |
A woman accused of neglecting the care of numerous horses and dogs she owned pleaded not guilty in court on December 29, 2005.
Paula Nichols, 50, was charged in Thurston County District Court with 16 counts of second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor.
Nichols faces up to 90 days in jail plus a $1,000 court fine and $1,000 civil penalty if convicted. She has petitioned the court to have the animals returned to her. A hearing on that issue is set for Jan. 12, 2005. | Source: The Olympian - December 29, 2005
Update posted on Dec 29, 2005 - 11:52PM |
Paula Nichols, 59, was charged in Thurston County District Court with 16 counts of second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. Nichols' arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 29, 2005.
Nichols has petitioned the court to return the animals to her. A hearing on that issue is set for Jan. 12, 2006. | Source: The Olympian - December 16, 2005
Update posted on Dec 17, 2005 - 5:35PM |
References« WA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Thurston County, WA
|
