A Newton woman facing two charges of cruelty to animals is scheduled to be in court Monday.
A group of Catawba County horse aficionados have pledged to be at the Catawba County Courthouse to take a public stand against cruelty to animals.
Annie Elizabeth Stein, 43, of Newton, was arrested Tuesday after animal control officers removed three malnourished horses from her property following the discovery of a dead horse in her pasture that appeared to have starved to death.
Stein ran a riding and therapy service called TouchPoint Equine Center. According to her
MySpace page, the center specialized in "family orientated equine fun," and hosted birthday parties.
She sold horses and offered boarding and breeding services.
She also taught riding lessons for adults and children, therapeutic riding for special-needs children and adults, horse massage therapy and horse training.
Her riding lessons cost from $30 to $45.
The city of Newton sent heavy equipment to Stein's pasture Thursday to bury the two horse carcasses found there.
"We asked the woman who rents the property to bury the horses, but she wouldn't," said Chief Don Brown of the Newton Police Department. "So the city has taken over, for the health and safety of the community."
The three horses removed from Stein's pasture are a Percheron named Samson and two Arabians named Arabia and Bosley, said Debbie Huss who has financed the horses' removal and follow-up care. The most severely malnourished of the three was Bosley, who weighed only about half of what he should have when he was seized.
"The veterinarian said he only weighed about 500 pounds," Huss said.
District Attorney Jay Gaither has been in touch with the Newton Police Department and is awaiting a prosecution summary on the case.
"We'll be reviewing the prosecution summary and reviewing the facts of the law to determine if felony charges are appropriate in this case," Gaither said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement