DARLINGTON - All of the horses seized by the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department in the wake of an animal abuse case in February have been sold.
The sheriff's department originally seized 12 horses after numerous accusations of abuse and animal neglect in Green and Lafayette counties made against Sean Legault, 56, Monroe, who had left the horses underfed. He was arrested on Feb. 20, after deputies found a dead horse and emaciated horses on his property in the Town of Wiota.
Sheriff Scott Pedley said that after the horses were taken, the department rented land at an area farm to care for the horses. One of the 12 horses succumbed to the neglect it faced and died.
Two of the horses delivered newborn foals and were adopted together. All 13 horses found new homes in the area. Pedley said every bidder had to have a background check before the horses could be adopted. He said there were multiple bidders and "dozens upon dozens" of inquiries into adoption. The horses sold for a total of $1,800 that will go towards paying off the cost for caring and rehabilitating the horses. Pedley said the department incurred about $17,000 in costs for caring for the animals.
"There's not much of a market for horses out there, but more importantly they all went to good homes," he said.
- Tom Holm
The sheriff's department originally seized 12 horses after numerous accusations of abuse and animal neglect in Green and Lafayette counties made against Sean Legault, 56, Monroe, who had left the horses underfed. He was arrested on Feb. 20, after deputies found a dead horse and emaciated horses on his property in the Town of Wiota.
Sheriff Scott Pedley said that after the horses were taken, the department rented land at an area farm to care for the horses. One of the 12 horses succumbed to the neglect it faced and died.
Two of the horses delivered newborn foals and were adopted together. All 13 horses found new homes in the area. Pedley said every bidder had to have a background check before the horses could be adopted. He said there were multiple bidders and "dozens upon dozens" of inquiries into adoption. The horses sold for a total of $1,800 that will go towards paying off the cost for caring and rehabilitating the horses. Pedley said the department incurred about $17,000 in costs for caring for the animals.
"There's not much of a market for horses out there, but more importantly they all went to good homes," he said.
- Tom Holm