CONCORD — The felony animal cruelty case against Mount Pleasant horse breeder Carole
Lewis will not begin Monday as scheduled. Cabarrus County Superior Court postponed the trial until Aug. 9 due to a
tight schedule next week, according to Larry Hewitt, Lewis’ attorney.
“This case is going to take
three, four days to try,” Hewitt said.
Lewis’ case will be heard in
the Cabarrus County Courthouse in Concord.
Cabarrus County deputies arrested
Lewis in January after volunteers with the Horse Protection Society of North Carolina
discovered her herd of 30 horses in a leased field just south of Kannapolis.
Society members say the horses
were so malnourished they had broken down fences on the property to forage for food.
A veterinarian called to the
property euthanized a sick mare. Cabarrus County Animal Control officers found two horse
skeletons on the property, bridles lying amid the bones.
In what appears to be the first
such case in the state, authorities upgraded the charges against Lewis in February. A new
state law took effect in January allowing for felony charges of cruelty to animals.
Lewis now faces 29 felony
indictments, each count carrying up to 15 months in prison upon conviction.
Lewis’ horses remain on the
property off Orphanage Road where they were found. Members of the Horse Protection Society
continue to care for them.
Local animal lovers, ranchers from
Colorado and the Purina company have donated hay and feed for the herd.
But volunteers with the Horse
Protection Society say they need more donations to continue caring for the horses.
Joan Benson, a society member who
lives in China Grove, said the animals — Lewis’ herd plus a few being cared for
in return for continued use of the leased property — are eating at least 200 pounds
of feed and a few square bales of hay each day.
Purina provided food from February
through May and now provides feed for the horses at cost, Benson said.
To find out how to help with
donations or to volunteer help, call Benson at 855-2978. |
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