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Horse abuse leads to jail time |
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By JOHN CRAMER of the Ravalli Republic
HAMILTON - In a case that has drawn national attention, two Georgia men were convicted, fined and sentenced to nearly a year in jail Friday for abusing and starving four horses during a wilderness pack trip last summer.
Ravalli County Justice Court Judge Jim Bailey denounced Craig Heydon, 71, and his son, Curtis Heydon, 37, before imposing harsh sentences.
The judge said the Heydons had displayed a gross lack of common sense and humanity by ignoring the horses' suffering, which included starvation, maggot-filled sores, ulcerated eyes, exhaustion and other ailments.
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“Neither of you has taken any responsibility for your actions,” Bailey said. “It's unbelievable that you can blame the horses, law enforcement and the Bitter Root Humane Association for what's happened.”
The six-person jury deliberated about nine hours before convicting the Heydons of all 21 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Misdemeanor animal abuse charges in Montana carry a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count.
That meant the Heydons could have received a total of 21 years behind bars and a $21,000 fine, although the typical penalties don't come close to that.
Deputy County Attorney John Bell asked for a harsh sentence.
“I want to send a message to the community and to these individuals” that animal abuse won't be tolerated in Ravalli County, Bell said.
The Heydons' attorney, Mathew Stevenson of Missoula, said his clients had been negligent but hadn't intentionally inflicted cruelty on the horses.
He said the Heydons didn't deserve to be punished because they had “suffered” enough from media coverage about the case and from death threats they had received.
After a brief recess, Bailey ignored the Heydons' request for leniency and sentenced the elder Heydon to 10 months in jail and fined him $5,850. The younger Heydon was sentenced to 11 months in jail and fined $6,435.
The judge also ordered them to forfeit ownership of the horses to the humane association and to pay all restitution for food, medicine, boarding and other care given the horses after they were seized by authorities.
The horses have since recovered, although some of their scars are permanent, and been placed in foster care.
The Heydons stood stone-faced when the conviction and sentencing were announced. Their attorney filed an immediate notice of appeal, leaving both men to remain free on a $10,000 bond each, pending a new trial in Ravalli County District Court.
“This is a sham,” Curtis Heydon muttered as a deputy escorted him and his father from the courthouse.
They went silently past dozens of horse advocates, who packed the small courtroom and an adjoining room where the proceedings were shown on closed-circuit television during the three-day trial.
Since last summer, horse advocates have circulated photos of the abused animals on the Internet and are using the case to push for harsher penalties against animal abuse in Montana.
Before the verdict and sentencing, all those in the courtroom were warned they would be arrested for any emotional outburst, so they cried quietly, held hands and sighed in relief when the court clerk intoned “guilty” 21 times and the judge meted out the punishment.
Once outside the courthouse, though, the horse lovers wept, hugged and cheered, saying the case sent a clear message to the public.
“I'm thrilled,” Theresa Manzella said. “Justice has been done in a big way.”
Theresa Manzella, a Victor horse breeder, spearheaded Willing Servants, a Bitterroot grassroots organization that helps abandoned horses. It was founded in response to this particular case.
The Heydons took the four horses on a two-month pack trip into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness last summer.
The case came to light when they left one of the emaciated horses lying collapsed along a trail and tied to a log. Two other horseback riders discovered the horse and called authorities.
The Heydons testified that they didn't overwork, starve and neglect the horses. They said they were inexperienced horsemen - the younger Heydon had never been on a horse until the pack trip - who shouldn't be blamed for the animals' poor condition and the difficult conditions they encountered on the trail.
Authorities and horse enthusiasts said it was the worst case of horse abuse they had ever seen.
Manzella said that after hearing the Heydons' testimony, she thought they displayed gross negligence, but she didn't think they set out to hurt the horses.
“But that doesn't lessen their responsibility for what they did,” she said. “It was torture to keep going when those horses were in that condition.”
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