www.jg-tc.com/articles/2007/08/03/news/doc46b23092bb82e865805894.txtThursday, August 2, 2007 3:52 PM CDT
Deputies find 14 dead horses near Charleston
LATEST CHARLESTON — Fourteen horses were found dead and several more were in a neglected state at a location just south of Charleston Wednesday, according to information from the Coles County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department and other agencies went to 1050 W. Coolidge Ave. after a neighbor reported a strong odor coming from the location, Lt. Tadd Freezeland of the department said. There was no one at the location and the owner of the property, Ernest C. Rose, hasn’t been located yet, he said.
Freezeland said a veterinarian determined that the 30 or so horses found alive weren’t in any immediate danger, and they were given food and water. Rose was sent notice that he has 48 hours to remedy the situation, or the living horses will be seized, he said.
Without information from Rose, it can’t be determined what happened to the horses or how long the treatment had been taking place, Freezeland explained. Attempts to contact Rose weren’t successful.
Freezeland said there are criminal violations that could apply to the situation. The sheriff’s department will send a report to the state’s attorney’s office for it to consider possibly filing charges against Rose, he added.
The horses were being kept on a farm of about 50 acres, Freezeland also said. The Coles County animal shelter, the county Public Health Department and the Illinois Department of Agriculture helped with the investigation, he said.
