Rising feed prices: Police to keep eye out for animal cruelty cases
By BRIAN WALKER, Ag Weekly
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 6:15 PM CST
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| Janice L. Scull |
COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho — With rising hay and feed prices, authorities are keeping a lookout on animal cruelty cases such as a recent one that led to the arrest of a Post Falls woman after four horses were found dead and several others showed signs of neglect.
Christy Hilbert, a horse owner and manager of Rathdrum Country Store, said average hay prices were about $97 per ton last year. This year, prices have climbed to $180 to $200 per ton.
"I think it’s a big problem," she said.
Last spring Hilbert said she was forced to sell two of her five horses in order to feed the three others.
The prices are partially due to summer drought and, if they haven’t made horse and livestock owners sell, they’ve at least made them supplement hay with grain mixes to make supply last longer, Hilbert said.
While feed prices may or may not have been a factor in the case involving the Post Falls woman at the former Coeur d’Alene Auction Yards, police said animals still need proper care and they’ll be keeping an eye on situations.
The hunt to arrest the suspect in the case at the former auction yards almost ended before it started.
Janice L. Scull, 43 was arrested without incident on Thursday at the Kootenai County Courthouse while she was there on an unrelated matter.
"We were in the process of getting a warrant when an animal-control officer and deputy saw her at the courthouse," said Kootenai County Sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger.
Scull was booked into Kootenai County Jail on a $50,000 warrant charging her with permitting animals to go without care. The arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation into animal cruelty and neglect allegations that the county has been investigating for the past month.
"She’s responsible for the property and the animals," said Wolfinger, adding that he didn’t know who the owner of the animals is.
Scull, who has no previous jail bookings, did not return a phone call seeking comment on Friday afternoon.
"At this point, there are no other suspects," Wolfinger said. "She’s been the suspect all along."
After receiving a tip of possible animal abuse at the old auction yards on Seltice Way, the department on Oct. 24 found two dead horses and eight others that had signs of malnourishment and neglect.
Authorities gave Scull guidelines for proper care rather than seizing the ailing horses.
However, during a follow-up, officers found that conditions had not improved and two more horses associated with the auction yards were found dead at another site near Stateline on Oct. 29.
The horses and a donkey were then seized and placed in the care of Panhandle Equine Rescue.
The most recent incident on Tuesday at the auction yards involved leaving a horse and four dogs without adequate food or water.
"Same place, different incident, different animals," Wolfinger said, adding that the animals were brought to the site after the others were seized.
Wolfinger said a judge will determine how the animals that are being cared for will be released.
"They could be adopted or sold for the cost of the care," he said.
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