ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES St. Albans Couple Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charges
Reported by: Bob Aaron
Web Producer: Heath Harrison
Reported: Mar. 13, 2013 10:41 PM EDT
Updated: Mar. 13, 2013 11:49 PM EDT
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St. Albans
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
A Saint Albans couple faces felony animal cruelty charges for allegedly allowing one horse to starve to death and nearly starving a second.
It's not a place you would expect to find horses starving and dead from starvation. But one look at a 600-pound mare who should weigh 900 pounds is evidence of a serious problem .
The problem led to the arrest of Anita Weber and felony charges against both her and her husband, Arthur.
The criminal complaint states veterinarian Clara Mason witnessed one horse die and assessed the surviving animal at 300 pounds underweight. A humane officer said the couple had allegedly left a teenager in charge of the horses' care with disastrous results.
“The parents put the care of the horses in their son’s hands to teach him responsibility or something along those lines,” said Joshua Mullins, a humane officer in Kanawha County.
Senior magistrate Kim Blair set a $10,000 bond for the library employee, plus payment for the surviving horse’s care.
The care of the animals has turned into more a case of criminal responsibility than teaching a child responsibility. Both could face prison time if convicted.
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Bob Aaron
