Horse stabbings shock community
Owner, PETA offer reward
By TRACY BELL
[email protected]
Thursday, March 25, 2004
AQUIA - A reward more than doubled Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for stabbing three horses in Aquia Harbour.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal protection group based in Norfolk, offered $2,500 to a reward fund already established by Cyndie Scott, owner of two of the three horses. The reward now totals $4,500.
“Animal abusers are cowards,” said PETA cruelty caseworker Tarina Keene. “They take their issues out on the most defenseless beings available to them. Stafford County residents have reason to be concerned.”
On March 6, the horses, housed in Aquia Harbour Equestrian Stables, were discovered with injuries later confirmed as stab wounds. The stables, located at 1200 Aquia Drive, are inside a gated community.
Authorities first suspected the stabbings took place sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. March 6, but have said that they also may have occurred the night before.
Scott, who owns the two American Paint Horses that were attacked - Apache, a five-year-old and Poka Dot Pete, a 14-year-old - said she has never felt threatened until now after living in the immediate area for 14 years.
Apache, a sorrel, was discovered cut on the left side of its face, while Poka Dot Pete, a spotted brown and white horse, was found stabbed in its neck and shoulder area, she said.
Karol Lurch of Aquia owns Pretty Lady, a Palomino that, along with the other horses, was stabbed on the left side of its neck.
“I care about finding the deranged individuals who did this,” said Scott. “This is so serious. We’re not going to stop until these people have paid their dues.”
Calling the incident “frightening,” Scott said she could not understand why anyone would hurt three gentle, innocent horses.
PETA officials said that mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies agree that perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat to other animals and to the community.
All three horses are doing better, but are still apprehensive if someone approaches them quickly, said Scott, who described the horses as friendly and sociable. They think that everyone who approaches them is friendly, she said.
Wounds to the horses were reported as more than superficial but not life-threatening. The charge for animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500.
“It’s such a shame,” said Stafford County Board of Supervisors member Kandy Hilliard, D-Aquia. “I can’t for the life of me imagine anyone doing such a thing.”
Scott said she has received calls and e-mails from concerned individuals who are stunned and sickened by the case.
Community support has been strong, she said, adding that she believes it is only a matter of time before whoever harmed the horses is caught.
Scott said she is concerned about Aquia Harbour officials’ use of budget money and feels that improving security systems in the stables should be more of a priority than what she said are current plans to purchase horse “jumps” - equipment commonly used in horse shows.
Authorities have considered the possibility that the crimes may have been part of a vandalism spree. In a time frame close to the stabbings, several school buses were damaged in a parking lot adjacent to the stable, as were some nearby mailboxes.
The horses’ injuries were not the only recent animal cruelty incidents in Aquia.
On March 11, a 3-year-old dog was shot while in the yard of a Potomac Drive home in Aquia. The dachshund named Weenie was found alive, but wounded in its abdomen, said one of its owners, Barbara Eilenfield.
Eilenfield’s family later discovered the wound was caused by a pellet gun. Though a veterinarian treated the dog, the pellet, for safety reasons, will not be removed, she said.
When the dog’s wound was discovered, Eilenfield said she did not initially report the shooting. After hearing about the attacks on the horses, however, she felt there could be a connection in the crimes.
“My concern is, what is this person going to do next?” said Eilenfield. “Whoever would do that to a horse or a dog is probably not far off from a person.”
When contacted, Capt. Bryant Halstad of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said that the investigation into the attacks is ongoing.
Anyone with information about either case is asked to call Stafford County Crime Solvers at (540) 659-2020 or toll free at (866) 493-1083. Informants do not need to give their names, and Crime Solvers may pay up to $1,000 if the information leads to an arrest.
