Molalla Pioneer

By Abby Sewell
Molalla Pioneer

The investigation of an animal abuse case in Colton began in March when neighbors of April Punley called the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office to report seeing the four horses living on Punley's property had escaped on multiple occasions and were in poor condition.

"The complaint was mainly from neighbors that the horses had been astray 12 or 13 times in the last year and from the first time to the 12th time, they had gotten considerably thinner," CCSO Livestock Deputy Morgan Guthner said.

When he initially visited the 103 acre property on Benzinger Road, he found four thin horses, one of them "severely emaciated," and all with symptoms of hoof rot from being tethered in the mud.

"I told (Punley) to get the vet out there immediately," Guthner said. "She didn't have the money, but she had some people that would help her. But when I went out later to see if she had complied, she locked the gate and wouldn't return my calls."

Last week, a neighbor called Guthner to report that one of the horses had died.

"I went out there on a whim and the gate happened to be open," he said. "One of the horses was dead and the one that was extremely thin before was still thin."

One of the horses also had an eye injury of unknown cause.

There were other issues on the property, with no phone or water in the house where Punley lived with her four-year-old autisic son. The boy was taken into protective custody.

The three horses that were seized are currently housed with foster owners and are receiving medical attention, Guthner said. Punley was cited and released on a charge of second degree animal abuse on Friday but had not been arraigned as of press time.