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Animal abuse case hits Jackson County's budget
JACKSON, Mich. (AP)--Jackson County is taking a budget hit after tending to more than 80 horses seized last spring in an animal cruelty investigation. As of Nov. 30, overtime wages for county animal control employees had come to nearly 400 percent of the amount budgeted for 2007, officials said. Food and medical expenses also were inflated. County commissioners Dec. 11 were to consider transferring $84,100 for wages and $20,000 for food from its contingency fund to cover the expenses. "All of it is related to those horses," acting county Administrator Randy Treacher told the Jackson Citizen Patriot. "Horses eat a lot." Animal control officials in March swarmed the Turn-3 Ranch, a horse farm in Grass Lake Township about 65 miles west of Detroit. They found 69 horses--including Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds--standing amid piles of trash, rusted auto parts and animal feces. Several of the horses were visibly malnourished. The owner of the farm, James Henderson Jr. and Matthew Mercier, who managed the horses, are charged with felony animal torture relating to three of the horses. One of the horses was euthanized for a hip injury after the seizure, and more than half of the horses were late found to be pregnant. About 15 foals were born after the raid. A few horses were adopted out, but most were sold at auctions that raised less than $50,000 for the county, Treacher said. Donations for the horses poured in at first, but trailed off as the case continued. The county budgeted nearly $400,000 for its contingency fund, which covers unplanned expenses, county finance officer Gerard Cyrocki said. Henderson and Mercier have denied that the horses were harmed. Date: 12/13/07
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