After violating her probation by bringing 17 horses to her Greenfield farm, a 58-year-old woman convicted of animal abuse and neglect in May could be headed to jail. Ann Arnold of Wilton Greenfield Road was convicted in May of abusing or neglecting 19 of the 23 horses she had on her farm.
Rescue of neglected horses by SPCA
As part of her plea agreement, Arnold was spared jail but was ordered to give up her horses, undergo a mental health evaluation and pay restitution to the Upstate SPCA.
As part of her plea agreement, Arnold was spared jail but was ordered to give up her horses, undergo a mental health evaluation and pay restitution to the Upstate SPCA, which cared for her malnourished and mistreated horses after her arrest.
She also was barred from having any horses on her property for three years. According to Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III, Arnold violated one of those probation conditions earlier this week when 17 horses she had previously owned were brought to her Greenfield property.
A neighbor reported the horses’ arrival to New York State Police, who contacted Murphy and the county’s Department of Probation.
The district attorney believes Arnold owned the horses prior to her animal cruelty arrest but kept them on a Washington County property she owns and transferred ownership of the horses to a family member. Because the horses aren’t officially under her ownership, they were not included in the original court case.
Having the horses on her property is a violation of her probation, regardless of the condition the animals are in.
Murphy said Arnold has also violated her probation by not undergoing the required mental health evaluation that was part of her probation agreement, and also failing to make restitution payments for expenses incurred when horses were seized earlier and cared for by the SPCA.