Beth Lynne Hoskins, the Aurora horse farm owner facing 10 counts of animal cruelty in connection with 130 total animals seized in March by the SPCA Serving Erie County, maintained her innocence Wednesday.
Hoskins stood before Aurora Town Justice Douglas W. Marky as her attorney, George V.C. Muscato, entered a not-guilty plea to all 10 misdemeanor counts under the state Agriculture & Markets Law.
Her attorneys are seeking to have the civil case dismissed and most of the 73 horses returned to Hoskins. The 10 counts stem from evidence gathered on seven of the horses and three cats.
Um...how about...NO.
Outside the courtroom, Hoskins spoke about the significance of the 73 Morgan horses that were taken from her Eden Farms on Emery Road. When the search warrant was executed, 53 cats and four dogs also were seized.
"Besides God and my daughter, those horses are my life," Hoskins said. "I never, in my wildest imagination, could imagine this happening to me."
They always say that! If they're your life, prove it and take care of them.
Her attorneys described her as a phenomenal Morgan horse breeder, trainer and rider with 35 years of experience. The horses are valued at $1.6 million to $2 million, said her other attorney, Barry Covert.
Valued by who exactly? Is this taking their current condition and the economy into account? Because I'm hard-pressed to imagine any horse that doesn't race being worth $2 million. Big-name show winners maybe. Also hoarder does not equal breeder.
But SPCA officials have a different version of the story, insisting that it goes far beyond alleged neglect and care of the horses.
SPCA Executive Director Barbara Carr says it wasn't just unacceptable conditions in two horse barns, but also involved an outdoor shed housing 53 cats, and also Hoskins' home.
Carr said that East Aurora police had to contact Child Protective Services because of the condition of the home, and it had to be cleaned up before Hoskins and her daughter were allowed to return.
Four dogs, one house cat and an outdoor barn cat have since been returned to Hoskins. Carr said Hoskins signed over 43 cats to the agency.
"[The defense] did not ask for the cats back, just the 66 horses," Carr said. "They don't give a whit about those poor, tortured cats."
Cats aren't worth much to a lot of people. I can say from experience you can easily go from one cat to thirty in a year.
Meanwhile, SPCA officials said they have been contacted by 10 people from around the country, claiming they own some of the horses that Hoskins had at her farm. Some third parties are saying their horses were on loan to Hoskins to breed, and now ownership has to be verified, the agency said.
"We have ample evidence about the condition of the horses seized and the condition of the property," said SPCA attorney Alan Donatelli, who is handling the civil part of the case.
He pointed to serious hoof problems, dehydration and malnourishment of the horses, with no evidence of any farrier care for months, severe skin problems, antisocial behavior and horses standing in 2- to 3-foot piles of manure. Hoskins' home also was condemned at the time, he said.
"It was a terrible over-reaction on behalf of the SPCA. They should have left the horses there," said Muscato. "What they did with this case is unconscionable. They're our horses, so give them back to us."
It's a terrible under-reaction on your part. Those horses were not being cared for. If I found a child locked up in a room full of muck, would you expect me to just leave them there? If she really cared for them, where's the proof? Farrier bills, vet bills, feed bills, bedding bills, proof that they've actually been properly cared for. Words are easy. Right now I could argue that my house is spotless. Doesn't make it true.
The criminal part of the case is expected to remain in Aurora, while the civil case will likely be heard in State Supreme Court. The next Aurora court date was tentatively set for 4 p.m. June 14.
0 comments:
Post a Comment