For the second time in two years, officials have seized horses from a Jefferson County ranch.
A dozen horses, most appearing neglected and weak, were taken Wednesday when authorities served a search warrant on the property of John McCulley at 12601 W. 82nd Ave.
Earlier this month McCulley tied a rope around one emaciated horse and pulled it behind a truck in an attempt to make it stand up, according to court documents.
In June 2007, Jefferson County authorities raided the ranch and seized 26 horses that they said were malnourished and neglected.
A search warrant wasn’t used in the 2007 case, and horses taken at that time were returned to McCulley in August 2008 in a “healthy condition,” according to court documents.
An animal-cruelty case against McCulley, stemming from the 2007 seizure, is ongoing. The Jefferson County district attorney’s office said Thursday new felony charges could stem from this week’s seizure.
A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy was sent to McCulley’s ranch May 9 on a report of a horse “down in the pasture” after two people told investigators they watched McCulley, 43, tie a rope around the neck of a horse named Blue. They heard him telling the animal: “Get up, come on, you can get up” as he pulled the rope.
Blue didn’t stand, and McCulley tied the rope to a pickup and Blue was dragged “across the pasture,” according to the affidavit.
When Deputy Margaret Hastie arrived at the property, she found Blue, alone, lying on the ground.
In the affidavit, Hastie described Blue as being “emaciated, with his left hip bone sticking out and his spine and ribs clearly visible.”
McCulley couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday, but according to the affidavit, he told deputies Blue was 43 years old and set to be “put down.” He said Blue had gotten “tangled up in a gate” and had been thrashing in an attempt to free himself.
McCulley’s veterinarian couldn’t euthanize Blue that day because he was on an emergency call, so deputies watched as the owner “put down the horse himself” by shooting it.
On May 11, investigators — along with animal-control officers and two veterinarians — served a search warrant and seized Blue’s body.
Investigators said hay on the property was in extremely short supply and what was on hand was moldy and not suitable as adequate feed.
A vet said a case for neglect could be made based on several horses appearing to be malnourished and neglected.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
