A grand jury has indicted two north Alabama residents on six felony counts each. They are charged with stealing two horses in the middle of the night last August from an equine shelter in Harris County along with numerous tack items and a horse trailer.
In cases of livestock theft in Georgia, the value of the horse determines whether authorities file misdemeanor or felony charges. If the fair market value of the animal taken is less than $100, the crime is considered a misdemeanor. In this case, one horse was valued at $500 and the other at $2,000.
Mitchell and Judd were arrested in Madison a few days after the thefts. The horses were found abandoned and dehydrated in the trailer northwest of Madison in Athens, Ala.
Both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are free on $14,000 bond each.