An Arizona man who was caught by police in August 2008 after tying his horse to the back of his truck will face charges for animal cruelty in federal court this Tuesday.
Gorden Allen Bates tied a horse to the back of his truck and then proceeded to stop the vehicle and beat the animal with a PVC pipe while his 13-year-old daughter kicked it in the face. Luckily, a state trooper happened onto the scene.
The horse was found to have both new and old injuries including “multiple bruises on its rump, cuts on its face and neck, cuts from a tow strap used to drag it, deep cuts on its legs and swelling under one eye where the horse was beaten with the PVC pipe.” The horse recuperated and was sent to an animal sanctuary.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is encouraging Arizona locals to show up to the court to support the procescution. If you’re not in the area, they request that you send a letter of support to PinalCountyAttorney@co.pinal.az.us.
Photo Credit: spakattacks on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
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Alex Felsinger
Alex is primarily concerned with animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and environmental justice. As a freelance writer in San Francisco, he leads a deliberately simplistic and thrifty lifestyle, yet still can’t help gawking at the newest green gadgets and zero-emission concept cars.
2 Responses to Man Faces Charges For Beating, Dragging Horse Behind Truck
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i agree. & what kind of parent exposes their child to something like that let alone has them participate. what did the horse ever do to them. mow their lawn with it’s mouth for them?=[ poor horsey.:”’(
It is a fact in the criminal justice system that abuse of animals ALWAYS leads to violence and abuse of children, domestic violence and/or other crimes.
I hope the man gets the longest jail sentence that Arizona allows! Additionally, his daughter MUST be placed in a juvenile detention center &/or in extensive counseling and community service with a 5-year probation. How old is the horse? Will it be able to be adopted?