Latest Headlines
- ECUA Considering Water, Sewer And Sanitation Rate Increases
- Highway 4, Highway 168 Bridges Across North Escambia Remain Closed. Here’s An Update.
- Two-Time Super Bowl Champ Inspires Local Youth Athletes (With Photo Gallery)
- Century Woman Charged With Meth Possession After Traffic Stop
- For Escambia, Alabama, Deputy Charge With Federal Civil Rights Violation
- FWC Law Enforcement Report: Snapper Size, Gopher Tortoises
- These Are This Week’s Road Construction Trouble Spots
- Drone Show Wows Sellout Crowd in 5-1 Wahoos Loss
- Costco Nine Mile Road Plans Set For Development Review Meeting
- Applications Still Open For Pine Beetle Assistance And Prevention Program
Escambia Man Arrested On Animal Cruelty Charges
June 20, 2016
An Escambia County man has been arrested on animal cruelty charges, one year after Escambia County animal control seized 16 animals from a property near Cantonment after it was discovered they were being kept without adequate food or water.
Paul Allen Craft, 49, was charged with four counts of unlawful confinement and abandonment of animals. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
Three pot-bellied pigs, four goats, two cows, five horses, one donkey and one mule were seized from Ridgecrest Lane off Stout Road in June 2015. Three of the horses were taken to Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment, while the other animals were taken by Escambia County.
The charges, according to court documents, related to the lack of food and water for two confined horses, a foal and pigs.
Three horses were described as malnourished at the time of their seizure by Panhandle Equine President Diane Lowery.
“We appreciate the help of Escambia County Animal Control, the Sheriffs Office and the State Attorneys Office for following through by filing charges,” Lowery said Sunday.
The only horse rescue in Escambia County, Panhandle Equine Rescue was founded by a small group of concerned citizens with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned equines. PER is authorized by the court system to investigate equine cruelty in Escambia County.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
15 Responses to “Escambia Man Arrested On Animal Cruelty Charges”
No guys, dont hurt animals. if u be cruel to those innocent souls,then god will be cruel to our next generations. its a horrible offence .never do that.
This man went to the property where these horses were to take care of them and get them back to healthy. He is my ex girlfriends dad and this man loves animals.
BD , these days, it’s all about money. They may be some concern over the horses conditions, but they take them, rehab them and rehome them for a FEE. The owner is fined, goes to jail….there is bail money, court costs and other fees….It has little to do with innocent or guilty…as long as the county gets that money!! & dman has a point… I’m sure there is a “rest of the story”… or more to the story than just what we read..Not sayn it is OK for the horses to be in that shape , but did he just get them, or has he had them a long time and allowed them to get in that shape ? ? Who knows??
So the family likes animals. It is possible the man obtained the horses already malnourished and was in the process of restoring them back to health. Yes, that’s exactly what he was doing. It appears Mr. Craft was running an animal rescue all by himself. It takes a long time to put weight back on a horse. I wonder if the appearance of the horses were any different a week after their rescue from the craft home? If we judge the man by the pictures then we could pass the same judgement on the rescue organization that seized them ..innocent until proven guilty.
BD
So sad. I feel like there should be an ad advising people what to do with their horses, before things get so bad. Surely no one wants their horses to become this malnourished. What can someone do? Where can they go when they can no longer provide for their horses?
I can’t stand seeing animals neglected like this… it’s just like having kids of your gonna have them I have to take care of them and animals can’t tell u what they need or if they’re hurting or hungry… it just angers me so bad cause I love animals and none of them deserve this kinda treatment!!! This man dang sure should b out somewhere and not get fed or have any water!!! Gosh I have so much more to say but don’t have enough time to keep talkin.!.! JUST SO ANGRY!!
Naturally, some people are going to let their brains explode over cruelty to animals (they’ll sit idly by and say nothing while children die in the streets but heaven forbid someone hurt “those babies” in the pig pen, the stall, etc…anyway that’s another matter). But I wonder what happened here to get them to that point? Was he truly being negligent? Was he struggling to feed himself and his family? Were the animals up for sale? Had he been trying to get them better owners? Yes, he may have been a heartless jerk but then again, we don’t know the rest of the story.
$2000 bond and a year to place charges. Ridiculous … Those dedicated to saving abused animals work so hard and this monster gets a slap on the wrist. An eye for an eye is a just punishment.
Would like a comment on here about the legalities and time required by the legal system before animals can be taken away. My guess is that it has to be even worse situation than this as bad as it is before they can take the animals. Personally I think he should be fed just enough to be kept alive like he has done with these animals for a year until he looks like they do………….
Whatever punishment he gets, we should remember that the animals need food and medical attention, which they will get. Let’s be sure to support Panhandle Equine Rescue to help them help those horses. We just saw an article about one of the horses they helped, so we know they’re doing the good work.
animal abusers do not get enough punishment.its awful the control officers work so hard and help animals and not get nothing in return.ive turned in quite a few people and the rescue has always been there.he should do some hard time for free and no probation.2,000 bail is nothing for what he did. and that smile on his face should be slapped off. to bad the animals cant talk and tell how they were really treated.pot smokers get more time in jail than animal abusers.what is wrong with the system these days.he was out a year before he was arrested,what a joke.
Why a year to arrest him? $2000 bond? Crazy! He should get what those innocent babies got.
$2,000 bond? What a joke!!!
SOMEONE SHOULD LOCK HIM UP WITHOUT FOOD FOR A WHOLE YEAR THEN HE WOULD KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO NOT HAVE FOOD . I BET HE HAD BEER AND CIGARETTS.
He should be sentenced to endure the same treatment that these animals received.