TOLEDO, Ore. (AP) — A Lincoln County sheriff’s officer says a Toledo, Ore., mother and daughter have been cited for five counts of animal neglect after one mud-mired horse drowned in a partially flooded pasture and four others appeared to be in poor condition.
Sgt. Bob Jozwiak says a deputy who responded last Saturday to a report of a horse stuck in mud arrived to find the animal completely submerged in water. The horse died.
The officer says the pasture was partially flooded due to recent heavy rains and high tides. He says four other horses in the pasture appeared to be in poor condition.
The sergeant said 19-year-old Colleen Welke and 49-year-old Jesstine Welke were cited and released Thursday on one count of first-degree animal neglect and four counts of second-degree animal neglect. The sheriff’s office says the women have turned over ownership of all their horses to another person in the area.
