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Couple Sentenced For Abusing Horses Near Century

Two people have been sentenced on animal cruelty charges for failing to properly care for their horses, one of which later died.

Richard Allen Jones, Jr., and his wife Katy Lynell Jones both pleaded no contest to two counts of animal cruelty, and Judge Linda Nobles withheld adjudication in sentencing each to 270 days in the county jail on each count to be served concurrently with probation terminating on release. Each faced up to five years in prison, according to court documents.

Richard Jones was remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence. Nobles ordered Katy Jones to report to a probation officer within hours of the sentencing and allowed Karty Jones to remain free and to turn herself in to serve her sentence within 10 days of Richard Jones being released from jail. The sentencing arrangement was made due to the couple having young children at home.

According to prosecutors, Richard Jones, Jr., and his wife Katy Jones both owned horses that were not cared for on Killam Road near Century, and both “failed to provide property care and treatment, which led to the intentional and unnecessary and repeated pain and suffering of said horses” between July 2022 and February 2023.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s office responded to call on February 4, 2023, about horses that had been let in a random field on Killam Road, one of which was down and suffering because no one had fed them. The couple had been living in a home located on the property several months prior.

“People need to know they can’t starve their horses,” Diane Lowery of the rescue group Panhandle Equine Rescue said. “They both had their own private counsel and little to no criminal history. We were expecting probation, but Escambia County takes animal cruelty very seriously and strives to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Animal cruelty should not be tolerated, as it speaks to a person’s lack of ability to care, which usually affects humans in their life; their spouse and children are also victim,” shea dded.

Editor’s note: Some readers may find the details and photos below disturbing. Discretion is advised. The details are from an ECSO arrest report.

“I observed a horse lying on its side in the field, and the horse appeared to be deceased,” a deputy wrote in his report. “As I approached the horse that was lying on its side, the horse tried to raise its head in an attempt to get up, however the horse was barely able to move. I observed the horse to be extremely emaciated, with its rib bones and hip bones projecting prominently.”

“I observed the area around the horse to be torn and dug up in a circular area where the horse had obviously thrashed and spun around on the ground in an attempt to get up. The horse has its head and neck lying in horse feces,” the deputy continued. “It was obvious that the horse had been there for a while.”

Deputies noted another horse in the pasture area that was also extremely emaciated with rib and hip bones projecting prominently. The horse’s hoofs were cracked and split extremely bad.

A small pony and goat in the pasture appeared fine.

“I did not observe any remnants of food in the pasture area that would indicate that the animals have been fed recently. I also observed the water trough to be dry with no potable water in the pasture. I did observe a small area of standing water in the pasture which appeared to be unsuitable for consumption.”

In a FaceTime conversation with the animal control officer, Katy Jones said the horses had received some feed three days before the ECSO was called, but it had been about two weeks since they had received a bale of hay. She stated that a veterinarian had not been contacted, but that her husband would be checking on the horses and moving them to green grass. Rickard Jones told the investigator that he would come by three times a week to feed the animals.

A livestock officer arrived on scene and took possession of the animals.

Pictured top: A malnourished pony is fed after being removed from a property near Century. Pictured first photo below: A malnourished horse was transported to Panhandle Equine Rescue. Pictured second photo below: Volunteers fight to save “Slick, who did not survive the night. Pictured bottom two photos: A second malnourished horse.  Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.