A man accused of dragging a malnourished and mistreated horse 60 feet through a pasture with his pickup truck has been charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty.
John Wilmarth McCulley, Jr., also faces 36 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in connection with his lack of care of 16 other horses.
According to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, McCulley tied a rope to the neck of a horse named Blue, connected it to his pickup and drove quickly out of a pasture.
Authorities today announced the counts against McCulley following the seizure of the horses several weeks ago.
The DA’s office said it was the second time in two years that the sheriff’s office has seized horses under the care of McCulley. In the first case, however, a judge ruled that the seizure was illegal and returned the horses back to McCulley.
Most of the horses seized last month were the same horses that had been previously seized, according to prosecutors.
A veterinarian who evaluated the horses seized in May 2009 also cared for the horses when they were seized from McCulley in June 2007.
The veterinarian who evaluated the horses both times they were seized said their physical condition had deteriorated significantly.
Deputies arriving at the scene where they say the horse was dragged found a horse lying on the ground on his right side. The horse was described as being “extremely emaciated” with his left hip bone sticking out and his spine and ribs clearly visible.
Deputies said the horse was struggling to breath and was unable to stand up.
Veterinarians at Colorado State University told investigators Blue had not eaten properly for are least two or three months.
One witness told officers that the dragging was the “saddest thing I have ever seen.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
