Sensationalism!

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Back Article published Mar 31, 2007

Two sought in horse abuse
Charges filed after discovery of 69 malnourished animals on farm.

JACKSON, Mich. (AP) -- Police were searching for two men Thursday after finding 69 badly malnourished horses on their debris-strewn farm. Hold up. There were NOT 69 badly malnourished horses, or I'd want to hang the men myself. By pre-trial transcripts, there were 3 ... all accounted for with common equine causes for their conditions.

Jackson County prosecutors have issued warrants for James Henderson Jr. and Matthew Mercier charging each with animal neglect, a 93-day misdemeanor.

Animal control officials on Wednesday swarmed the property in Grass Lake Township, about 65 miles west of Detroit, finding the horses, including quarterhorses and thoroughbreds, standing amid piles of trash, rusted auto parts and animal feces. Heavens, no! Not animal feces on a horse farm! Again, according to the defendants, the horses were fenced away from the debris. The horses, several of which were visibly malnourished, are being fed a strict diet, said Kimberlee Luce, director of the county animal shelter. According to reports, the horses were being fed a "diet" by JCAC that was lacking in basic horse nutrition by people lacking in basic horse sense.

"We're keeping them comfortable and doing what we can for them," Luce told the Jackson Citizen Patriot for a story published Thursday. "It's a sad, sad situation."

Luce said the animals cannot be moved to more comfortable surroundings until the men are arraigned. The two were still unaccounted for Thursday evening."Our department checked a number of locations in our county on today's date in an attempt to locate the two suspects. It's our understanding that one of the suspects may have left the state on business," sheriff's Sgt. Joseph Quainton told The Associated Press.

The investigation began about two weeks ago after police were notified that some of the horses had gotten loose and left the property. The animals were being kept behind tattered wire fences surrounding the property. Tattered fence must be a journalism thing. I've seen fence that was broken, twisted, cut, sagging, but never tattered.