All in all, a good day.

Court today could not have gone much better.

And this was printed in the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Protest planned to support men accused of neglecting horses

Thursday, November 01, 2007
By Kristin Longley
klongley@citpat.com -- 768-4917

Supporters of two men accused of neglecting their horses have started a grassroots campaign to try to clear their names.

The group plans to conduct a peaceful protest Sunday at Michigan State University, where Jackson County will auction off the last of the 84-horse herd it seized from the defendants' Grass Lake Township farm.

James Henderson Jr. and Matthew Mercier are charged with three counts each of felony animal torture. They will stand trial early next year before Circuit Judge Chad Schmucker.

Their supporters have generated several online forums about the case, and one Web site, www.glhorsetruth.com, has received more than 14,000 hits in the few months since it started.

"I think it's people who are looking at this case and are fearful about their own property,'' Mercier said. "They're ticked off.''

Acting county Administrator Randy Treacher said the supporters' campaign is "an attempt to smear what Animal Control has done.''

Animal Control agents seized the horses in March and took control of the farm based on reports of unsafe facilities and malnourished horses. The horses were later forfeited to Jackson County by District Judge Joseph Filip. Henderson appealed the civil ruling, and the case is pending.

Shantell Coats of Springport is organizing the MSU protest. She said information will be disseminated regarding Animal Control's care of the horses, including allegations that some haven't been fed, groomed or dewormed properly since the seizure.

Treacher said a lot of time and resources have been spent on the horses, and added the animals have been well taken care of, according to Animal Control veterinarian Dr. Pamela Fouty.

"Our Animal Control officers have done a tremendous job,'' Treacher said. "The condition of the animals overall continues to improve.''

The horses up for auction Sunday include trained and pedigreed barrel-racing horses, officials said.

Schmucker is scheduled to hold a hearing today on a motion to bar Mercier and Henderson from the auction based on reports that they have created disturbances at previous auctions.

©2007 Jackson Citizen Patriot
© 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

Guess what? Schmucker threw out the PPOs that were served on Matt Mercier at the third auction, and did not grant the motion to bar the defendants from the final auction this weekend. There simply was nothing concrete in the allegations against the defendants.

I have to believe that the tide is turning.