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Case #9538 Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Neglect of 21 horses
Citra, FL (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 6, 2006
County: Marion
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Laurie Hulber
A judge sentenced a 71-year-old woman to five days in the Marion County Jail for animal cruelty on Aug 23, according to county code enforcement officials.
Aside from the five days, County Judge James McCune on Wednesday also gave Laurie Hulber, of 2550 N.W. 165th St. in Citra, one year probation, 80 hours of community service, a $600 fine and forbid her to either own or be responsible for any horses after Sept. 1. Once Hulber is released, code enforcement officers are expected to work with her to find a home for her horses. Hulber's 19-acre Citra farm has 18 horses.
Code enforcement officials were contacted with a report of abuse on June 6. Investigator Carol Cichy went to the farm where she found two horses that she felt fit the criteria of animal cruelty.
One of the horses, a 12-year-old gelding that officials said was hidden in a cinder block barn, was reportedly severely underweight and had pressure sores on its hips. The animal had overgrown hooves that were cutting into the horse's bone structure. The second horse, a 15-year-old gelding, was at the back of the farm in an overgrown field. Underweight, the horse was suffering from chronic diarrhea.
A veterinarian who went to the property estimated that the condition of the first horse took about five years to develop. It was so severe the animal had to be euthanized because the horse was in extreme pain. The second horse was treated, and the elderly woman was given specific instructions on how to care for the animal.
In subsequent visits, Cichy said she noticed Hulber was not following the veterinarian's instructions. On one visit, Cichy found the 15-year-old gelding in a cinder block barn with feces and urine-soaked straw. Its health was failing, prompting officials to remove the animal from the woman's care. The gelding has since been adopted. Each time Cichy visited the home, Hulber had an excuse on why she didn't follow the veterinarian's recommendations.
"One time she said it was hard to get hay. Another excuse was it has been raining all week," Cichy said.
In late July, the State Attorney's Office issued an arrest warrant, charging her with two counts of first-degree misdemeanor animal cruelty. On Aug. 23, Hulber pleaded guilty. Before Hulber's Aug. 9 arrest, she voluntarily surrendered three of the 21 horses that were on her property. They were eventually adopted. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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