Woman Arrested for Animal Neglect in Rural Clackamas County

The horse's owner was cited for Animal Neglect 1; which is a class A misdemeanor.

(CLACKAMAS, Ore.) - A series of anonymous phone calls and a history of law enforcement response led to the discovery of a dead horse and the subsequent arrest of a woman in Clackamas County Friday.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant Friday at approximately noon, at 35814 SE Surface Road, in Estacada. This is a rural address just east of the City of Estacada.

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Livestock Deputy Morgan Guthner had responded to this address in the recent past in answer to an anonymous caller; who said horses at that address were being neglected.

The owner of these neglected horses was identified as 23-year old Mary Lorraine Boyle.

Guthner met with Mary Boyle February 5th on the property and learned the horses had not been attended to properly. He says the animals were in need of additional care and maintenance.

Boyle was advised of the potential consequences if the animals were not attended to properly in the future, according to Guthner. He says veterinarian attention, farrier attention and a routine feeding schedule were the main topics of discussion.

Guthner learned Mary Boyle had possession of the animals for at least 8 months, and he says Boyle was not able to determine when the horses had last been wormed. "When dealing with adult horses -- worming is recommended to be routinely administered every 6 months."

The deputy says he provided a stern verbal warning and told Boyle he would return to reevaluate the condition of the animals in the near future. He says Boyle assured him the animals would be cared for properly.

On March 7th, Deputy Guthner received information that an animal on the property was down, deceased as a result of neglect.

Armed with a search warrant, Guthner responded to this address Friday and located the two original horses he had observed earlier at this location with Boyle. One of the horses was dead, and the other appeared malnourished and neglected.

The deceased animal was collected and transported to a medical facility at Oregon State University, in Corvallis. This medical facility is capable of performing the necessary forensic necropsy; which may aid in identifying the cause of death to this animal.

The remaining horse, alive, has been seized by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office and is now in foster care.

Detective Jim Strovink with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says foster care providers that deal with animals are greatly appreciated by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. This volunteer collection of caring individuals provides a very bighearted service to the community during this sometimes complex and time consuming judicial process.

Mary Lorraine Boyle, was taken into custody, booked at the Clackamas County Jail, cited and released.

She was cited for the charge of Animal Neglect 1; which is a class A misdemeanor – punishable for a time of up to one year in the county jail and carries a maximum fine of $6,250.00. She has an appearance date on this matter set for April 9th; in the Clackamas County Circuit Court, at 3:00 PM.

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Anonymous March 13, 2007 10:59 pm (Pacific time)

Animals are living beings that require the minimum basics of food and shelter. And more for optimal conditions. When we "own" any animals we also own the responsibility of taking care of a living being that depends on us solely and completely for their survival. Unlike the comment above, it doesn't matter that she was "young", she is an adult and would know if she didn't have the wherewithall to take care of any animals, let alone something as big as two horses. You know if you have enough money to do this and if you find yourself in sudden unexpected financial circumstances, you DO NOT EVER let an animal starve. You make arrangements, even if it means giving up the animal, for free, to someone who can better care for it. Now she has one dead horse and another starved, confiscated and her name forever linked with inhumane behavior. The arrest will follow her; would you want to employ someone who was arrested for what she was? What kind of person can knowingly let an animal starve? To purposely allow suffering is unacceptable. It is an expense and responsibility to have a horse, I know because I've been a horse owner for years. Horses require regular worming, hay at least twice daily in an amount that their ribs do not show, and the hip is round at minimum. They require hoof triming every 6 to 8 weeks, all the water they can drink in a CLEAN bucket or trough, brushing, and yearly vacinations. All of that to me and most horse owners is minimal care. Most of us go beyond that with dental, training, grain type feed, treats and just time spent with your horse or horses. Just as the animal shelters require certain conditions and costs to be met before releasing an animal for adoption, all animals should be so lucky. This report of horses confiscated for starvation and abuse, as well as other animals in Clackamas County is showing up too much in the news. She is old enough to know she could not afford to have a horse let alone two and I say she is liable, for her actions, she had a choice and her horses didn't. They paid, so should she.

Horse Sense March 10, 2007 10:00 pm (Pacific time)

Maybe she was broke or low on money. She is so young. Money will not come out of the air if this is true. We don't know enough yet.

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