Felony Charges In Horse Case
Mount Pleasant woman faces 30 counts of cruelty to animals in what could be first use of law

BY SUSAN DICKERSON
SALISBURY POST

In a surprising move, the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department has charged the Mount Pleasant woman accused of starving her horses with 30 felony county of cruelty to animals.

And the Horse Protection Association had a lot to do with that.

Carole Lewis, 46, of 10001 N.C. 73 E, Mount Pleasant, originally faced two counts of cruelty to animals. The 27 horses found alive were turned over to the Horse Protection Association for care. The horses now are being fed by volunteers on Orphanage Road.

If Lewis is convicted of all 30 counts, she could face up to two years in jail for each count.

And according to Horse Protection Association member Jennifer Heggen, Lewis already had been prosecuted for two counts of cruelty to animals in 1996. Lewis received a prayer for judgment on both counts and was told to reduce her herd of 60 to no more than 40.

Because a three-year time period for the prayer for judgment has not expired, those charges could be revisited by the courts, Heggen said.

When animal control officers took the horses, they found six horses pregnant. Now, at least five of those horses are not pregnant any longer.

‘‘They could have aborted to take the nutrients off the fetus to feed their own bodies,’’ Heggen said. ‘‘But their bodies are producing milk, and they look like they’re ready to foal. But they aren’t pregnant.’’

Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Lt. P.D. Hunt said officers served Lewis the 30 warrants Friday.

And those felonies are a result of Heggen’s research.

The law the sheriff’s office is citing is a new law passed by the General Assembly last year, and it has never been tried in a horse case before, Heggen said.

Enlisting the aid of many Horse Protection Association members and friends, Heggen began her research. She also enlisted the aid of Rep. Charlotte Gardner of Salisbury.

‘‘She and her secretary have helped me find the information. She sent me the letter with the updated general statutes with everything that passed last session of the house.’’

The law Gardner sent is General Statute 14-360 (Section B) out of House Bill 1049.

That law says: If a person goes back to maliciously torture, mutilate, maim, cruelly beat, disfigure, poison or kill or cause or procure to be tortured, any animal, every such offender for every such offense will be guilty of a class I felony.

The law has to establish intent to hurt animals.

In Gardner’s letter, she wrote: ‘‘I am too appalled by such callousness. ... It is hoped that increasing the sanctions will be a deterrent to the mistreatment of animals by owners as well as the general public.’’

Heggen, a horse owner herself, has taken up the cause because ‘‘there’s no way that I could ever intentionally see starving an animal when there are people out there who will help you take care of the animals. They’re like children. You don’t starve your children, and you don’t starve your horses. My horses are my children. It’s just not right. They don’t deserve that. They never asked for you to buy them or breed them, and they never asked for you to starve them.’’

The horses are getting vet care now, Heggen said, although those bills are accruing. If Lewis gets her horses back, she will have to pay those vet bills.

Volunteers also are feeding the horses, she said, although the association is asking the public to help with donations for feed.

‘‘The problem they’re having now is everybody is getting the feeling that since the woman in Salisbury (charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals) got some of her horses back, a lot of people are afraid of (Lewis) getting her horses back.’’

Heggen doubted that would happen because she has the prior conviction.

Because people aren’t sending donations, the volunteers feeding the horses are paying for the feed, ‘‘and they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.’’

Heggen encourages people to send donations because this case is so different than the case tried in Salisbury.

‘‘Why are you not going to help when they’re starving now? You need to help now and stand on the bandwagon to get it stopped.’’

Donations can be sent to the Horse Protection Association at 2135 Miller Road, China Grove, N.C. 28023.