A man is in custody after authorities seized four horses from his home in Aguila, 25 miles west of Wickenburg, AP reports.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s officials say 27-year-old Jason Valenzuela is being held on suspicion of seven counts of animal cruelty.
Animal crimes detectives served a search warrant at Valenzuela’s home Tuesday.
They determined that four horses had been neglected and were in dire need of food and medical attention.
Sheriff’s officials say three of the horses had dental issues where their teeth had curled, which didn’t allow them to eat and caused starvation.
Detectives noted additional medical issues that weren’t taken care of by Valenzuela.
Sheriff’s officials first checked on Valenzuela’s horses in August after receiving a tip and say they were worse off than before during a Jan. 31 check.
Related: Humane Society offers reward for info on burro killings
If you’d like to discuss equine law, contact Adam Trenk, atrenk@roselawgroup.com
