021214 SEIZED HORSES GO TO SPCA

A New Caney woman left the courtroom of Montgomery County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts unhappy and under arrest Wednesday afternoon. The court heard hours of testimony regarding whether 50-year-old Kimberly Ann Adams should be allowed to keep the horses and other animals she is accused of neglecting 18 horses, resulting in the death of three.

On January 31, Livestock Deputies with the Precinct 4 Constable's Office and an Animal Control officer conducted an animal cruelty investigation at Adams's home located in the 17200 block of North Crest Circle. The deputies were checking the condition of the livestock on location and the Animal Control officer was there to check out a report that Adams was neglecting her dogs.

They found two dead horses outside of the barn and one dead horse inside. All three were in advanced stages of decomposition emitting a terrible odor.

Adams told deputies the two horses in the pasture died in October, while the horse in the barn died in December, and she believed her ex-husband poisoned them. When asked if Adams had a veterinarian check the horses, she said she only spoke to one by phone and had not contacted someone to bury the remains because she did not want her ex-husband to find out about the horses and somehow use them as a deduction when he filed his tax return.

Deputies found the remaining 15 horses, including three colts, were in poor condition from lack of food and care. The horses had chewed much of the wood fencing, with entire boards missing in some places. There was hardly any grass left on the eight or so acres, leaving the hoses on mostly just dirt, and deputies witnessed one eating another horse's manure. Adams stated she purchased food for the horse during the few days prior, but only a few empty feed sacks were found in the barn.

She was given a short amount of time to comply. When she failed to do so, deputies returned with representatives from the SPCA and they removed the surviving horses. Wednesday's hearing was to determine whether she would retain ownership of the horses or lose them permanently, as requested by the County Attorney's Office.

Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts heard the lengthy case that began in the morning and went into the early afternoon, with Adams claiming she properly fed and cared for the horses and believed their decline was due to poisoning by her ex-husband. She went so far as to call her two early teenage children to testify, asking each of them if they believed her ex-husband was capable of poisoning the horses. However, she never produced any evidence supporting that theory and even her own knowledgeable witness testified that scenario was unlikely.

Adams represented herself and was aggressive in her questioning of law enforcement and the veterinarian speaking on behalf of the SPCA. After he said it would be unusual for a veterinarian to diagnose and provide treatment for horses based on a phone conversation as she claimed, Adams questioned his education, which was obtained from Texas A&M University. Adams was defiant and remained adamant she did nothing wrong, claiming she was the victim of overzealous officers and her ex-husband.

Toward the end of the hearing, Adams became more humble and told the judge the horses were her livelihood, pleading with him to return them to her.

Judge Metts heard every witness and examined all the evidence presented before awarding the surviving horses to the SPCA.

The judge said he did not believe Adams "got up one morning and decided to mistreat these animals," but he did believe they were cruelly treated in that they were not provided adequate food and shelter.

Before Adams could leave the courthouse, Precinct 4 Deputy Constables called her to the hallway out of the site of her children and placed her under arrest.

Kimberly Ann Adams, is charged with five counts of Animal Cruelty. Her bond was set at $1,000 per count.

Видео 021214 SEIZED HORSES GO TO SPCA канала SCOTT ENGLE