"RIBS SHOWING, HIPS STICKING OUT" - Calhoun Man Faces 10 Animal Cruelty Charges

(08/04/2006)

Sheriff Carl Ballengee said there was little grain, no grass or pasture to nourish the horses (Calhoun Sheriff's Department Photos) Sheriff Carl Ballengee said "Some of the horses conditions are life threatening," after charging Tom Cooper of Walnut Road with ten counts of animal cruelty. Ballengee called Calhoun veterinarian Dan Cain to examine the animals, after officers went to the farm to examine and photograph six adult horses and four colts. The sheriff said he received several calls regarding the situation, indicating the horses were not being fed and were mal-nourished. The sheriff said their "ribs were showing and hips were sticking out." Officers confirmed there was little grain to feed the animals, and no grass or hay available. "The horses have been farmed out to people in the community to try and bring them back to health," Ballengee said. Cooper is scheduled to appear in Calhoun Magistrate Court.

Hur Herald ®from Sunny Cal The information on these pages, to the extent the law allows, remains the exclusive property of Bob Weaver and Dianne Weaver The Hur Herald. All information may be freely used but must not be sold or used in any type of commercial endeavor, or used on any web site without the express permission of the owners ©Bob and Dianne Weaver, The Hur Herald, 1999, 2000, 2001