Murphy – Cherokee County taxpayers are on the hook for more than $25,000 to care for horses seized in an animal cruelty case.
The latest invoice approved by county commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 3 is a $2,600 payment to Double 00 Farm in Tuskeegee, for two months worth of care for four of the seven horses seized in the case against Janice Patricia Dockery.
When Dockery was charged with seven counts of cruelty to animals, the County was given a court order to care for the horses. The animals were severely malnourished when they were taken in, including being “too skinny, standing in mud and poop over their hooves, and living in tiny enclosures with poop and mud all over their coats,” according to the warrant.
Annette Ensley, who runs the non-profit horse rescue at the Farm, said when they got the animals nearly a year ago, they did not know what color one of them was because of caked-on manure.
“They were in deplorable conditions,” she said. “We have put blood, sweat and tears trying to help them because they were in awful shape.”
Ensley said the District Attorney’s Office has dragged this case out and caused more expenses for the horses. However, she has not charged Cherokee County for some extra services, such as deworming and foot trimming.
“We’re through the rehab stage and we are into maintenance now,” she said. “The only reason the county is being charged money is because the horses are wards of the court system. If they had been surrendered to me immediately, I would have helped them and found them good homes by now with people who would love them.”
Ensley said at least one of the horses was lucky to be alive after the treatment they went through.
At the Sept. 3 meeting, the commissioners expressed frustration at the mounting bill. Cherokee County also paid $14,770 to care for horses in a previous case in 2014.
Sheriff Derrick Palmer said the move is not as simple as the board made it seem. He acknowledged that the pasture was for this purpose, but the horses complicate the matter because at least one of the studs is particularly wild and could break through the fencing there it not closely supervised.
“We cannot just throw out some hay and come back and check on them later,” he said. “This is a huge bill for the county, but we have to do the best we can because there are regulations we have to follow.”
The commissioners agreed to press the matter and get the horses moved. However, Palmer informed them by email later in the week that they were in the process of doing just that before things hit a snag.
“The horses can now be pastured, however, there are other concerns. We cannot pick up the five mares where they are located until Sept. 16, 2019,” Palmer’s email reads. “The foster care owner/caregiver is out of town and will not return until the before mentioned date. They have to sign over custody of the horses before they can be moved and the county takes possession.
“The other issue is that two of the horses are stud horses and extremely difficult to corral and contain.”
Dockery’s trial is set for Thursday, Sept. 19. Palmer said he was promised by the District Attorney’s Office that the case would be disposed during that court session, one way or the other.
District Attorney Ashley Welch said the case was originally dismissed because the judge would not grant a continuance requested by the state when their expert witness was unavailable for that session. However, she recharged the case.
“The DAs can’t get their act together. That’s why we are in this situation,” Ensley said.
If Dockery is found not guilty, she will get her horses back. If she is guilty, the judge will decide their fate and whether the county can get restitution for the care they have provided.
The commissioners allotted more money this year for animal control. Palmer said he has a deputy who is taking national certifications to be prepared to deal with animal situations full-time.
“When you talk about animal control, there are the kinds of things that come up,” he said. “We have to deal with everything, from horses to goats to emus or whatever is out there.”