PETA Action Alert: 20 April 2004

PETA DEMANDS JAIL TIME, PSYCHIATRIC INTERVENTION IF ALLEGED BUELLTON HORSE ABUSER IS CONVICTED

For Immediate Release:
April 20, 2004

Contact:
Daniel Paden 757-622-7382

This morning, PETA fired off a letter to Senior Deputy District Attorney Mag Nicola, urging him to vigorously prosecute Slick Gardner of Buellton. Gardner faces multiple felony charges stemming from authorities’ reported September 2003 discovery of up to 167 malnourished horses, deprived of sustenance and shelter, on his ranch off Highway 246. According to news sources, the rescue was the culmination of officials’ six-month investigation of the property—where an additional 300 or more horses are said to remain—following concerned neighbors’ reports of thin and frail animals languishing there. Gardner is scheduled to answer these charges in court tomorrow, April 21.

"People who demonstrate such blatant disregard for life and desensitization to suffering can pose a serious risk to the people and animals with whom they come in contact," says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Daniel Paden. "Mental health professionals and top law-enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag."

PETA is asking that—if convicted and in addition to a period of incarceration—Gardner be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling. PETA is also urging authorities to seize any other animals currently in Gardner’s custody and to prohibit him from owning or harboring animals in the future.

For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.