Thirteen horses, many of them in dire shape due to starving and unsafe conditions, were removed from the property of a rural Evans man Tuesday and authorities said the man could face charges of animal cruelty.
The owner, Jose Louis Meza-Franco, 33, has not been charged yet, but sheriff’s reports and court records indicate he will likely be arrested after the Weld District Attorney’s Office reviews the case.
The case began oddly as an investigation into possible cockfighting on the property, after an Animal Control Officer saw a rooster with the comb cropped closely to the head. Sheriff’s deputy Vicki Harbert stated in the court affidavit on the case, “There is no other reason to remove the comb of a rooster, other than for animal fighting.”
Using that information, the deputies were able to get a search warrant for the property Tuesday and began searching for other evidence of cockfighting. “We were able to see the one rooster with the cropped comb,” Animal Control Officer Gary Schwartz said, “but found no other evidence.”
But while they were on the property, deputies found 13 horses that appeared to be in very bad physical shape from possible starvation.
Read the rest of this report and see more photos from the farm at .
