RE-POSTING W/ PETITION NAME: Sherri Brunzell WHERE: COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. CRIME: A horse broker and a trainer say the owner of 14 horses found dead in a barn in Colorado spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy prize-winning horses PETITION: petitionhub.org/Maximum-Penalty-for-Sherri-Brunzell-woman-that-neglected-dozens-of-horses-leading-to-their-death-t-355 VIDEO: kktv/home/headlines/Woman-Finds-Dead-Horses-in-lack-Forest-Barn-275850931.html (LOVE HOW IN THIS VIDEO THEY SHOW A CHANGE.ORG PETITION AND MENTION THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CALLING AND EMAILING NON-STOP! PEOPLE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! GREAT JOB!! AND YOU GO DIANA RAGULA!! YES THOSE PPL SHOULD DEF. BE STARVED!) Horses and llamas were rescued from a barn in Black Forest Monday, the site where they appear to have been badly abused for a long time. The state humane society took the horses to an undisclosed animal rescue facility Monday afternoon. The llamas were taken to a separate facility. The owner of the animals, Sherri Brunzell, has been charged with animal cruelty. Due to these being misdemeanor charges, Brunzell was ticketed; she was not arrested. The animals were discovered Friday living among the remains of nearly a dozen dead horses. The 10 surviving horses and four llamas did not look healthy, though authorities said none appeared to be in immediate danger. Denise Pipher had been living on the Burgess Road property since August, but was not aware of what was in the barn until Friday afternoon when one of her German Shepherds ran into the barn. Piphers daughter-in-law followed the dog in and made the gruesome discovery. Diana went in to get her [the dog] because I couldnt climb over the pallets, and then she just started stepping all over...she sees all these bones and the feces are like 6 feet deep in there, Pipher told 11 News. The people that rented this barn were very private, and now I know why, Piphers daughter-in-law Diana Ragula said. I asked her when I first met her, I said, Do you need any help in the barn? If so let me know. She said no, I said, okay. ... She didnt want anyone near the barn. Pipher and Ragula remain horrified and baffled at what was happening in their barn. They just laid down and died, and decomposed right where they laid. And theres tarps over these and theres feces on top of these bodies that were just covered, Pipher said. They [the surviving animals] couldnt say nothing, they cant yell for help, theyre stuck in there behind these walls and nobody else gets to see them, Ragula said. Thanks to Pipher and Ragula, authorities were called, and four days later the surviving animals left the property for good. Neighbors say they have been gutted by what they learned was allegedly happening behind closed doors on that property, and were relieved to watch the rescue Monday. Its despicable and its been haunting me since I saw the news on Friday that its in my community, Laura Easom said. I dont know why anyone would have an animal--whether its a mouse, a horse or an elephant--and treat them like this. They count on us so much. To see them being rescued and whinnying and moving...very thankful. Im sure I speak for all of our Black Forest residents and all of our riding clubs, Linda Moneymaker said. The El Paso County Sheriffs Office says the reason for the four-day delay between the discovery of the abused animals and their rescue was because one of their veterinarians, who had worked on similar cases, had to make an assessment first. Once the vet did so, the sheriffs office says they then had the legal right to seize the horses, and made arrangements to do so. In order to seize somebodys livestock, theres a very specific set of criteria that we have to follow, Sgt. Greg White with EPSO explained. White said Brunzell was being very cooperative. 11 News spoke with the suspect Monday, who maintains that she did nothing wrong. Brunzell says her horses died of old age last winter, but because the ground was frozen she was unable to bury them. Brunzell told 11 News she instead put down a tarp and used a product to dissolve their bodies. When 11 News asked why, eight months later, the horse carcasses were still in the barn, she said she had other things going on and was going to take care of it. Brunzell said the other horses appeared thin because its between seasons, but that they are healthy. If Brunzell is found guilty of animal abuse, she could face anywhere from six to 18 months in jail, or a $500 to $5,000 fine. The El Paso County Sheriffs Office is currently heading up the investigation, but at Tuesdays county commissioners meeting District Attorney Dan May said his office would like to be involved. County Commissioner Darryl Glenn said he had received more than 1,500 emails in a 24-hour span from people all over the world inquiring about the horses.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 00:12:29 +0000
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