Glenn A. Sego Jr., 62, and his wife, Edwina, 61, have pleaded not guilty to 15 misdemeanor charges stemming from the alleged neglect of as many horses at their Judith Road farm west of here.
The Segos were scheduled to appear Friday in Kent County Court of Common Pleas for arraignment, but they entered pleas without a court appearance. They requested a jury trial, which is slated for Aug. 30.
Authorities responding to a July 9 complaint observed that several horses at the Segos' farm were in bad shape. After the couple allegedly reneged on promises to retain veterinary care for the skinny, sickly animals, they were arrested and 15 horses were seized July 27 by the Kent County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The Segos each remain free on unsecured bond of $15,000. If convicted, each will face up to a year in prison and a fine of $2,300 on each of 15 counts of animal cruelty.
Murrey Goldthwaite, executive director of the Kent County SPCA, was not available Friday for comment, and the agency's operations director, Elainea Wyatt, did not immediately return phone calls.
Wyatt said Aug. 4, though, that all of the horses responded well to food, medicine and nurturing, and all were expected to survive.
The Segos are liable for the SPCA's expenses for caring for the horses, but there's no telling when -- or if -- they'll pay up.
In the interim, donations to the nonprofit agency to help defray costs of the horses' care may be mailed to the Kent County SPCA, 32 Shelter Circle, Camden DE 19934. The agency's phone number is 698-3006. Case UpdatesA Dover-area woman originally accused of cruelty to 15 horses pleaded guilty today to a single count of animal cruelty, prompting the state to drop the 14 other counts.
As part of a plea bargain, Edwina Sego, 61, was placed on probation before judgment by Kent County Court of Common Pleas Judge Merrill C. Trader. If she serves six months of satisfactory probation, her conviction will be expunged.
The state also agreed to drop all 15 counts of animal cruelty filed against 62-year-old Glenn A. Sego Sr., Edwina�s husband.
Deputy Attorney General Ken Haltom said charges against Glenn Sego were thrown out because his wife was the owner of record of the horses, which were seized in August from the Segos� farm on Judith Road west of Dover.
Edwina Sego was ordered to make restitution of $15,000 to the Kent County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to help defray its costs for sheltering and caring for the horses. If she does not pay within 90 days, Haltom said, she�ll be in violation of the probation agreement and subject to up to a year in jail and a $2,300 fine.
Haltom said 12 of the horses returned to the Segos in about 30 days and that a hearing was set for Thursday on whether the three others should be returned to the owners.
Responding to a complaint, authorities went to the Sego farm on four occasions in late July and early August and eventually determined that 15 horses there were suffering from undernourishment, sores, skin infections, depression and other maladies.
The Segos were arrested after reneging on several pledges to recruit help for the animals, including a written agreement to retain a veterinarian.
Haltom said, though, that the couple had made significant improvements at the farms and had pledged to do right by their animals.
�The Segos have made a good-faith effort in improving their property,� he said, �and this agreement will require them to follow the law and treat their horses correctly. If not, Edwina Sego will be convicted of cruelty to animals.�
Find more coverage Tuesday in The News Journal and at delawareonline.com. | Source: Delware Online - Dec 11, 2006
Update posted on Dec 12, 2006 - 12:26PM |
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