Target: Chad Dotson, County Attorney of Iron County, Utah
Goal: Pursue the maximum criminal charges against the individual allegedly responsible for the deaths of three horses and the severe malnourishment of eight more.
When deputies from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office acted on a tip and served a search warrant on a southern Utah property, they reportedly discovered a scene that a veteran animal control deputy described as unlike anything he had ever witnessed in person: two horses already dead in their corrals, a third so weak it could not stand on its own and had to be euthanized by a veterinarian on site, and eight surviving horses found in a state of severe malnourishment and physical weakness. The deputy who responded, Ray Rodriguez, stated plainly: “I’ve seen some dogs in pretty bad shape. I’ve never seen horses this bad, not in person.” The eight surviving animals are now at the county’s animal shelter, where they are being carefully fed in an attempt to restore their health.
The physical condition of the surviving horses, and the deaths of three others, speaks to what investigators describe as a prolonged and complete denial of basic necessities. Deputy Rodriguez stated that it “takes a while to get them this way” — suggesting the horses endured extended starvation and dehydration, not a sudden or accidental deprivation. Investigators have identified a suspect, though contact had not yet been made at the time of reporting.
Utah law provides for serious criminal penalties in cases of animal cruelty and neglect, and the Iron County Attorney must pursue every available charge with the full force of those statutes. The three horses who allegedly died after being denied food and water had no means of seeking help or escaping. The eight who survived face a long road to recovery. The person allegedly responsible for this must be held fully and seriously accountable. Demand that the Iron County County Attorney file the strongest possible charges without delay.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear County Attorney Dotson,
We are writing to urge your office to pursue the maximum criminal charges and sentencing available under Utah law against the individual identified by investigators as the suspect in the alleged neglect and death of three horses and the severe malnourishment of eight more on a Cedar City-area property. According to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, deputies who served a search warrant on the property found two horses already dead in their corrals, a third too weak to stand that had to be euthanized by a veterinarian, and eight surviving animals in a state of severe malnourishment and physical weakness. The animal control deputy who responded described it as the worst case he had ever personally witnessed.
The deputy’s statement that “it takes a while to get them this way” suggests the alleged deprivation of food and water these horses purportedly suffered was not brief or accidental, but sustained over a significant period of time. If so, this is precisely the kind of prolonged, willful neglect that Utah’s animal cruelty statutes exist to address and punish. We urge your office to treat this case with the full seriousness that a deputy’s firsthand description of the worst scene he had ever witnessed demands.
We respectfully but firmly demand that your office file the maximum available criminal charges against the identified suspect. The three horses who allegedly died in those corrals, and the eight who are now fighting to recover, deserve nothing less than the full force of Utah’s animal protection laws.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: horse-animal
