By By Mary-Allison Lancaster Managing editor
A Brewton man was charged with animal cruelty Wednesday.
Larry Quates of 5021 Ridge Road was arrested and charged with four counts of animal cruelty.
The Humane Society and the Alabama Department of Agriculture had both received complaints about horses that looked to be severely emaciated and injured, according to officials. Cpt. Gerald McGough, criminal investigator, and Renee Jones, Humane Society cruelty investigator, along with Humane Society Officers Janet Beall and Kristy Lambeth responded to the call on Monday.
After further investigation, which involved taking statements from local veterinarians, the decision was made Wednesday to seize two of the horses that were judged to be in danger of imminent death.
The horses were contained in a three to four-acre lot with no grass, no hay and no central water source, and the lot was heavily contaminated with feces, Jones said.
According to Jones, the vet report stated that the horses were "down due to dehydration and starvation."
Jones said when a horse goes down you have to get them up. While it may not be unusual for a horse to be seen down, in most cases, horses that stay down are so weak they are unable to get up. Quates had made a makeshift sling placed around the Palomino horse in an attempt to keep him up.
The two horses confiscated were Cherokee, a male Palomino, and Katie, a paint mare. Both were moved to a secure location where vet-directed treatment began immediately. The remaining horses have been kept under close supervision at Quates' home.
Despite efforts to maintain the lives of the horses, Katie sustained such massive injuries the vet recommended she be euthanized. Katie was put down on Thursday. Cherokee will be touch and go for at least two to three weeks, Jones said.
Any person who would like to report a suspected animal cruelty should call 867-6860.