Jeffco man admits mistreating horses seized by county

One of the abused horses taken from a Jeffco man nuzzles a kinder hand.

JEFFERSON COUNTY – A Jefferson County man arrested after 17 malnourished and mistreated horses were seized from his property will be sentenced on felony aggravated animal cruelty and weapons charges next month.

John W. McCulley, 44, pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this week, including one count of possession of a weapon by a previous offender.

The animals were taken from the McCulley in May after deputies investigating reports that a man was dragging a horse behind a truck found an injured and emaciated horse behind an outbuilding at 12601 W. 82nd Ave. The horse had to be euthanized.

Investigators also noticed several other apparently malnourished horses on the property and took custody of them. Farmers, horse owners, veterinarians and other members of Jeffco’s equestrian community responded, nursing the horses and donkey back to health in an effort coordinated by the Table Mountain Animal Center and Animal Control officers.

The incident marked the second time some of the horses had been taken from McCulley, according to investigators.

The incident was the second time in two years that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office seized horses under McCulley’s care. Most of the horses seized in May 2009 also had been seized in a previous animal abuse case against McCulley. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty charges in connection with that case earlier this year.

A veterinarian who evaluated the horses seized in May 2009 also had cared for the horses when they were seized from the McCulley in June 2007. According to court records the vet said the animals’ physical condition had “significantly deteriorated since the horses were ordered by the judge to be returned to McCulley in August 2008.”

McCulley, who originally was charged with more than three-dozen counts of animal cruelty, was ordered by the court to surrender custody of the animals to the Sheriff’s Office.

Farmers, horse owners, veterinarians and other members of Jeffco’s equestrian community responded, nursing the horses and a donkey back to health in a complex effort coordinated by the Table Mountain Animal Center and Jeffco Animal Control officers.

After the animals recovered, those considered adoptable were offered to pre-screened applicants who could provide a home and care for the mistreated horses and donkey.

McCulley will be sentenced on the latest charges Feb. 26 at 8:00 in Jefferson County District Court