NorCal Man Arrested For Animal Cruelty; Horse Rescue Foundation In Need Of Help

October 27, 2011 8:21 AM

(credit: The Grace Foundation)

Reporting Mike Dello Stritto

Filed under

Local, News

Related tags

Animal Cruelty, The Grace Foundation

Features

Hero Dog Flown To UCD For Treatment

Halloween Guide

Cheerleader Roundup #5

EL DORADO HILLS (CBS13) -– A Northern California animal rescue group may need some rescuing of its own after helping save dozens of horses in what some are describing as the worst cases of animal cruelty they’ve witnessed.

Volunteers from The Grace Foundation in El Dorado Hills were not prepared for the conditions it found on a Northern California ranch in April, where the carcasses of 25 horses littered the property, many just the skeletal remains.

“It was just a graveyard for horses,” said Beth DeCaprio of The Grace Foundation. “It was the worst case I had ever seen.”

Graphic video shows the horrific conditions at the Whispering Pines Ranch in Lassen County. Some of the surviving horses were forced to feed off the dead.

On Wednesday, Dwight Bennett, the owner of Whispering Pines Ranch, was arrested and charged with 30 counts of animal cruelty.

“There’s a price to pay when we forget about the innocent and the voiceless,” said DeCaprio.

DeCaprio helped rescue 56 horses over several months, all of them now at The Grace Foundation Ranch in El Dorado Hills. Nursing the ailing equine back to health is a slow and tedious process. And there are about to be more “unexpected” survivors.

“You know, it’s a tragic situation. And these are all young horses under 3 who are all pregnant,” explained DeCaprio.

At least 18 mares are pregnant. And finding homes for the horses is not easy. There aren’t enough people with the means and interest in giving the horses a good home.

And now, tight on cash, The Grace Foundation is in need of some saving of its own to continue its mission to save these horses.

“We’re just desperately asking the community to step up and help us in any way they can,” DeCaprio said.

One of the horses rescued from the ranch is now a police horse for the Folsom Police Department.

NorCal Man Arrested For Animal Cruelty; Horse Rescue Foundation In Need Of Help

Gene Rossi

How about annexing the guys property and sell it off for the needed money

Tabatha01

The guy filed bankruptcy and the land cannot be touched at this time. The bank will get it unfortunately. But good idea. The slime bag also claimed the horses as assets valued at 195k I believe, so the horses themselves are in some kind of legal limbo hell.

Gene Rossi

do it today
Tabatha01

As more of the story unflolds many might want to check out the Grace Foundation. They have a 7 min. video clip that is much more telling of what happened. Beth and the folks who volunteer there are truly amazing people. There is also a link on their page that tell the WHOLE story about those poor animals. Watch for Bay, he is a beauty (now) go to http://www.thegracefoundation.com Best wishes Beth and All.
Dante M Carpino

tHANKS GRACE FOUNDATION YOU ARE THE VOICVE FOR THE VOICELESS. i WILL DO WHAT i CAN..
Dante Carpino

Mrs. De Caprio you are an angel. Passed on the video; can’t watch animals in distress but will view yours so I can send help.
Shelly

Do any local businesses want to step up and host a fundraiser for them? I’ll donate products for raffle prizes.

Tabatha01

Shelly, if you can find any go for it! I would also donate items for the auction. I have met Grace a few times and can tell you she rocks! So do the other people that work there. Go to http://www.thegracefoundation.com and you can read the whole story there. The DA wasn’t even going to file any charges and that was AFTER Beth of The Grace Foundation and others from the organizations were contacted by that county to come and get the worst of the horses. The whole story is disturbing. This story doesn’t even mention the foster kids he had or that the kids were his only source of income, nor did it tell you about the fact that they found meth on site.. Also, the animal control officer up there did nothing because she had a horse stabled there and hers was one of the worst horses there! It was an ungodly horror pit there. I urge everyone to visit there website and watch the full video (about 7 min long) then read the whole story they have linked, not just the first page that shows the video.
Oh and The Grace Foundation is LOCAL right off Latrobe road in El Dorado Hills. They even offer horseback riding lessons and Birthday Parties to help raise money. The Foundation has my name and number, if you get something going call them and they will call me with your phone number. Good Luck and thank you in advance for anything you do. I hope everyone remembers even a dollar can help!

Tabatha01

*Excuse me I have met Beth of the Grace Foundation a few times

Tabatha01

Nice. Do you kiss your Mother with that mouth?
http://theconservativehillbilly.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/norcal-man-arrested-for-animal-cruelty-horse-rescue-foundation-in-need-of-help-%c2%ab-cbs-sacramento/ NorCal Man Arrested For Animal Cruelty; Horse Rescue Foundation In Need Of Help « CBS Sacramento « theconservativehillbilly

[...] by The Conservative Hill Billy in Uncategorized NorCal Man Arrested For Animal Cruelty; Horse Rescue Foundation In Need Of Help « CBS Sacramento. [...]
barbara

it took 6 months to arrest him???
WTH! is wrong with our legal system? The suggestion to sell off his property to care for the victims of this POS is a GREAT IDEA!
Police seize property and money all the time if it was used or obtained in a crime why not in these cases?
Again did he explain or give any kind of excuse as to why he did this?

b

i beleive its is a no win situation for the police, if they were chasing someone who has neglected some animals . and from what i have read it is neglect which differs from abuse, so who determines the difference and if the police are wrong who gets sued.I hate to put it this way but on the grand scale of things they are just a bunch of horses

jjelek

If the US wouldn’t have banned the selling of horse meat to other countries this wouldn’t be happening.Just saying

Buck

You are absolutley right. Do gooders have wiped out the market for horses, while never considering the unintended consequenses. Here in Texas ther are lot’s of places where dead horses are lying in back pastures. The horse sale requires a Coggings test, then fuel costs to ship to auction, if you’re going to lose money in the transaction, it’s cheaper to put them down yourself in the back pasture.

Abilene

I have horses here in Texas, and I also fly a helicopter over much of north central Texas. I see some sad sights. It’s not only horses lying at the back of the ranches. There aren’t enough rescue organizations to place the animals, and in this economy, it’s going to be difficult to get reliable help to establish rescue facilities. My heart goes out to those horses in California, but the transportation cost to bring them to Texas would be too great, and there are much closer animals that need rescued, anyway. I have the land and the desire to do it myself, but again it’s the overhead. It would be great to get some of Obama’s stimulus stash, but since the horses aren’t union, it’s unlikely that would ever happen.

W. Lasten

…I’ve always wondered what WHhhlllBbbur ‘did’ w/ Mr. Ed, after he was done, doin’ what-ever-else-he-did-to, or, -with, that pretentious animal…
I alway figured a nice charcoal-lined fire pit, lots of wine, gravy, veggies & home-recepie, spices-to-taste, Chef Lasten’s presto-gustatation, and, with a few o’ the buds over…
Why, it would’ve been a regular, old, “EAT_MR._ED_COMEPLETLY” party!
…Next year, the horse from ‘Animal House’!

Beau

There’s always one idiot that needs his butt kicked.

Monterey

There’s a place in I think Oregon that takes in abused horses. It’s called the Ranch of Rescued Dreams or something like that. Try contacting them.

Becky Royle

There are equine rescue facilities all over the country, and most of them are filled to overflowing. The reality is that without slaughter as an option for horse owners who have old and injured animals that need to be put down…they are left with onlyl 2 options. Kill them and dig a hole themselves (which most of your run of the mill backyard horse owners are incapable of) or leave them to die a long and suffering death if not in their own back yards then in the hands of unscrupulous “rescue” groups. I love my horses, I would never even consider a slaughter house for them but lets face facts here….where are all the old, infermed and destitute supposed to go exactly??

b

jjelek what you need to understand is people dont want solutions to problems that dont coeincide with there beliefs (although they are logical) animals were put on this earth for our use and our stewardship, it would make sense to be able to dispose of your animals if you no longer have the means or desire to care for them .and should be allowed to do so as you see fit.
Monterey

Contact Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Bend, OR. That is the name of the place that takes in abused horses.
Brian

What is wrong with you all? Saying that the government should be able to seize and sell your property instantly is like saying they should be able take the constitution and set it on fire. You are asking them to completely ignore the right of property ownership. I understand that the issue of the starving horses, but what you are asking is for the government to take complete and total control over our lives. Some things are bigger than some mistreated animals.
Vicki

We need to rescind the ban on horse meat… a quick bullet to the head would be much more humane than months of suffering and starvation. Then the meat could be recycled and put to good use. Imagine all the OWC protesters one horse carcass could feed!
a. hinson

i am a second generation horseman, my fathermade a living with horses as i do. noone loveshorses more the i. bones on the ground do not prove abuse or neglect, this man is convicted without a trial. horses are property, and if we allow the government to step in and dictate how a horse should be handled, then we all lose. people with with good intentions do not make good stewards of animals, some real knowledge is needed.

porchhound

Agreed…here again we have the uninformed demanding action without any understanding of the situation.

porchhound

This is what happens when you don’t allow the humane killing of unwanted horses. If they reopened the slaughter houses you wouldn’t see these terrible situations. The HUMANE SOCIETY is a BOGUS OPERATION that spends a pittance on actual animal welfare and the rest on administrative (salary) costs and advertising.
Bucksaw

“There’s a price to pay when we forget about the innocent and the voiceless,” said DeCaprio.
Nice sentiments. Does she feel the same about aborted babies?

Edgar Friendly

In our new world order animals/nature are considered above humans.

WeeWillie

Pray tell: What is the difference between using horses for meat or using cows pigs, sheep, goats etc.? Some 35,000 culled wild horses are fed at government expense in the Midwest. Horses should be process for their meat hides and bones. This would provide much needed jobs and foreign exchange, and provide fodder for more beef. It is insane not to use horses as food. My fondest memories are of riding horses on the plains. But after the horses got too old, dog food they became.
nbri

Alien experiments.
Hank Warren

Illegals and their animals, yet another violation of our rights. Add it to the list of gov’t violations of our rights:
They violate the 1st Amendment by placing protesters in cages, banning books like “America Deceived II” and censoring the internet.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns.
They violate the 4th and 5th Amendment by molesting airline passengers.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting undeclared wars for foreign countries.
Impeach Obama, vote for Ron Paul.
(Last link of Banned Book):

America Deceived II: Homeland Security Warning: Possession of this novel may result in enhanced interrogation.

Roze

Dwight Bennett doesn’t sound illegal to me. I’m as anti-illegal as the next person but don’t make us sound like idiots.
PaleoCon

This moron just mindlessly spams every single comment board linked by Drudge promoting some conspiracy book.

Honestly, I implore you cease using “Ron Paul” in all your comments. You’re doing him a great disservice.
Beth DeCaprio

please watch this video. This is actual footage of the rescue and will give you an idea of what the incredible volunteers at Grace had to witness. This short video also shows the bond that these magnificent animals have with each other. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ0jZbkVgdM

Kristin Lyle

Unbelievable and horrifying. But we all need to open our eyes and REACT or this will continue. Beautiful animals that deserve so much more. Thank you, Beth.

TXCowgirl

No seas pendéjo, Juan.
Don Franklin

It has recently become illegal to slaughter horses in California. It’s also illegal to trasport horses to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Okay, so what becomes of horses who have outgrown their usefulness, whether due to age, injury, or simply that their owners can no longer afford to feed and keep them (hay and feed have become extremely expensive), and can’t sell or even give them away? Hence the growth of horse rescue operations, who unfortunately soon find themselves innundated with unwanted and abused horses and the attendant costs far above what charitable donations offset. It used to be that horses could be slaughtered and converted to pet food and fertilizer. There even was a market where buyers bid for unwanted horses. Take your pick liberals … but you can’t have it both ways. Any adults out there?

Denise Beck

This IS NOT THE PROBLEM…Most of the dead were YOUNG, and STARVED..He spent money on illegal drugs instead of hay!!
rosemary

You are absolutely correct. You can’t save them all, and some aren’t worth saving. People used to go to a sale, and take a chance on buying a horse they might be able to rehabilitate because they knew they could get some of their money back at slaughter, if things didn’t work out. Now no one will touch a questionable horse because they know they will be stuck with them. What is worse, horses dying a slow death from starvation or going to slaughter? Just look at it as recycling.

Ann

So you buy a horse and rehabilitate it, making it believe it actually has a home after already living through hell, then you send it to slaughter? That is really sick. Animals are not aluminum cans. If the poor thing can’t be saved, there is such a thing as euthanasia. The reason we read stories such as this is because of people like you – completely without feeling for an animal.
Vicki

Ann… so what would you do with the $1200 lb (tasty & protein-filled) carcass after you euthanized it? Would you just bury it like yesterday’s garbage?
Jubal

I’ve taken, ‘rescued,’ abused horses in the past. Some (few) could be salvaged and live useful, relatively happy lives. Most, sadly, had what few functional brain cells that they started with so messed up that you couldn’t even clean their feet, much less ride them safely. Very, very few of the ‘animal activists’ have ever had first-hand experience caring for such animals, much less the heartbreak of having to make the final decision for them. All you soft-headed, soft-hearted souls that think that animals are equal to humans, or that every human that has to make the ‘final decision’ for a noble creature is an unfeeling beast have a lot to learn about life and humanity. It is the human’s burden to ‘do the right thing,’ especially when it comes to ending an animal’s life.
Badger40

Rosemary, you are very correct. I am a rancher is North Dakota. Starvation of horses here has also increased, due to owners not knowing what to do with them. Some have been abandoned, which is quite cruel, I assure you.
You might as well put a bullet in that horse.
People, horses are NOT PETS. They are LIVESTOCK. I live everyday with these animals. And yes, I love my saddle horse. But he works with me. He is not my pet. I am dominant over him. I am the boss. And I treat him as if I were the dominant horse. This is how it works in nature, real life. Bring back horse slaughter & you will see a lot of this disappear.

Irv

A horse has more protection than an unborn human…

degraonai

Sadly true.
Sheepleherder

Most, SANE, people don’t believe that being starved to death is very good “protection”. You have obviously been reduced to spouting propaganda instead of using your humanity for things like thinking and compassion.

Jacob

It has recently become illegal to slaughter (old people) in California. It’s also illegal to trasport (old people) to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Okay, so what becomes of (old people) who have outgrown their usefulness, whether due to age, injury, or simply that their owners can no longer afford to feed and keep them ((prunes) and (tapioca) have become extremely expensive), and can’t sell or even give them away? Hence the growth of (retirement homes), who unfortunately soon find themselves innundated with unwanted and abused (old people) and the attendant costs far above what charitable donations offset. It used to be that (old people) could be slaughtered and converted to pet food and fertilizer. There even was a market where buyers bid for unwanted (old people). Take your pick (meat eaters) … but you can’t have it both ways. Any adults out there?

degraonai

horses aren’t people.
jubal

I used to support the slaughter of horses, for pet food, fertilizer, and even human food. Still do. They, the horses, are cattle, just as cows and bison are. Yes, horses are noble creatures. I’ve owned many. My Morgan Horses were more human, more intelligent and more caring that people that I have worked with or for. And I preferred their company to ‘humans.’ But, push comes to shove, a horse has more useful meat than a human, fewer parasites, and is lower in fat. I have celebrated the lives and memories of a number of domesticated animals with the ritual burning of their flesh at an open-air banquet. And, no, I would not do that with homo-sapiens.
Drkwing

degraonai: You are absolutely right! They’re better than people.
Badger40

horses are not people. Equating an animal to a person is what is wrong with all of this. Jubal is correct.
Dogs are also animals. The same thing happens to cats & dogs all the time bcs people do not understand you cannot anthropromorphize an animal.
We are omnivores & there is nothing wrong with the slaughter of horses.
I sell calves every fall & they are going to be on someone’s table someday. That’s what they are for.
As a rancher, it is my job to take care of those critters. And I love my cows & calves every bit as much as I do my horses, dogs & cats.
But they are animals. And they are not people & I do not treat them as such.

Suzette

Actually the California anti-slaughter law has been in effect for awhile now.
If someone cannot care for their horses and they cannot be sold or given to a good home, a vet can put them down.

Russ

If they can’t afford to feed it do you really think they have the money to take it to the vet and have the carcass disposed of?
Lisa

And then what? Do you have any idea how much it costs to dispose of a horse carcass? Not to mention that rendering plants are few and far between, Can’t donate carcass to wild cats because of the drugs used for euthanasia. Not allowed to bury carcass in back yard either. Don’t get caught dumping it in the creek. There are no easy answers to this situation. I believe in horse slaughter as a way to manage horse populations, increase the food supply (even if it is for France), and ease the burden on the horse rescues.

Steve Mc

And because of that the value of good horses has taken a dive. Put on top of that the tens of thousand “wild” horses the goverment has to remove from ranges every year to prevent overgrazing and starvation and you have a real mess. When libs get any agenda passed you know things are going to he77 in a hand basket fast.
Kristin Lyle

“What becomes of horses who have outgrown their usefulness…..”? Must say this question took my breath away. Look into an animal’s eyes and can you HONESTLY say, “You’re useless”? They are loving, forgiving creatures that deserve so much more than THIS. This whole story sickens me. I am a very conservative Republican, so I believe this has more to do with the state of our hearts and souls than it does with our politics. (And if the above was actually written by Brett’s dad, ugh… sorry, Mr. Franklin, but my feelings are STRONG on this!)

Vicki

Kristin, Your strong emotions are commendable, but what realistic solution can you offer? And why are you damn republicans always so against recycling?
Kristin Lyle

Your comment made me laugh out loud (with you, Vicki… I mean that!)! We recycle everything! So we’re not all like that I guess . All this is more about helping and saving, rather than about what party we affiliate ourselves with (which I only identified above because the person to whom I was responding was talking about. Truthfully? I have no solution. There isn’t a good one. Same with the shelters and SPCAs…. they’re always in dire straits as well. But they are living beings and deserve so much more. So, not to oversimplify, we can just do our little part. These horses were left to breed and breed and breed… and for what purpose? So many dead horses and others incredibly malnourished AND pregnant. FIX your animals…. but take care of them. Yes, SAVE when you can and even help monetarily. Small steps.

Beatty

Don,
Your “facts” are not accurate. Do you really think that horses in California aren’t going to slaughter? Do you believe horse actions with kill buyers are a thing of the past? Horses are shipped from California to slaughter every day of the week…the kill buyers are attending auctions all over the state and transporting them to other states to their holding pens befores shipping them to Canada and Mexico.
Also, horses have not been used for dog food in the US for the last 20-30 years. Americans refuse to feed their pets horse meat tainted with Bute, Bantamine, wormer, and antibiotics. Too bad those European folks don’t have a clue the American horse meat they are eating is filled with carcinogens…

Denise Beck

Untrue..in this case..Mr. Bennett is a sadistic piece of human filth..and had no problem throwing ANYTHING to the wayside..

He needs to STAY in jail THIS time!