Three people, including two from just north of Benton, have been arrested after alleged cruelty to horses. Patrick Wayne Walker, 32, and James Carr Jr., 21, both of the 100 block of New Bethel Booker Road near Benton, were arrested, as was Glen Gibson, 19, of Monroe.
Walker was charged with four counts of simple cruelty to animals, while Carr was charged with one count of simple cruelty to an animal. Gibson is charged with one count of simple cruelty to an animal and one count of violation of Louisiana Livestock Sanitary Board regulations for transportation of a horse from Texas to Louisiana, across a state line, without a health certificate and current E.I.A./Coggins test, as well as the required mark, brand, tattoo, or microchip identification. Each of the men surrendered and posted a standard $500 bond per count after warrants were issued.
Under Louisiana state law, conviction of simple cruelty to animals, per count, is punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1000 and 40 hours of mandatory community service.
Following reports from residents that horses were being mistreated, the Bossier Parish sheriff's office and Louisiana Livestock Brand Inspectors investigated and seized several horses from the New Bethel Booker Road address, off state Highway 3, near Benton. Veterinarians examined the horses, and then warrants were issued, based on their findings and the initial complaints, according to a release from Bossier Parish Sheriff Larry Deen. Deen said these matters are taken seriously.
"If you do not have a proper place to care for a horse, proper feed and do not provide proper veterinary care in Bossier Parish, you will be criminally charged and the animals seized," he said. "The mandatory marking of a horse makes the job of law enforcement in identifying stolen or missing horses much easier. That information makes it more likely that an animal that has strayed or has been stolen will be recovered and returned to its owner. A brand, microchip I.D. and/or a tattoo is your horse's return address." Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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