A District Court judge sentenced a man accused of neglecting his horse to 100 hours of community service Wednesday for misdemeanor animal cruelty. Richard Corr Jr., 31, of Hanapepe, pleaded no contest to the charge, which bears a maximum penalty
A District Court judge sentenced a man accused of neglecting his horse to 100 hours of community service Wednesday for misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Richard Corr Jr., 31, of Hanapepe, pleaded no contest to the charge, which bears a maximum penalty of $2,000 and up to one year in jail.
Corr’s horse was found dead while tethered on the Fourth of July in Hanapepe Valley.
Kaua‘i Defense Attorney June Ikemoto said on July 2nd Corr’s uncle had been in a fatal car accident and that Corr had made arrangements for the horse to be looked after that had fallen through.
She also said her client was “very remorseful” and is passionate about his animals.
Humane Society officials received an anonymous tip regarding the horse, which they believe got spooked by fireworks and accidentally choked to death. Another of Corr’s horses died on New Year’s Eve, also as a result of loud celebration.
It was the earlier case that had District Court Judge Frank Rothschild concerned, as he told Corr during sentencing, “the difficulty I had with this case is that it happened before. … You hope to learn from experience and try not to repeat mistakes.”
Rothschild also said after reviewing the file, he believed Corr didn’t maliciously intend to neglect his horses.
Though Humane Society Executive Director Dr. Becky Rhoades doesn’t agree with the practice of tethering, she said when that method is used a horse needs to be checked on a minimum of once a day. Doing so would help ensure it’s free of being tangled. She also said that horses must have constant access to an adequate supply of fresh water.
During the sentencing hearing, Corr said he would never leave one of his horses tethered again during fireworks.
