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Woman who took in rescued horses, charged with animal cruelty

Posted at 10:13 PM, Jun 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-09 23:29:29-04

KING WILLIAM, Va. – The owner of a King William rescue farm is facing multiple charges after 42 horses were seized Wednesday from her farm after an animal cruelty investigation.

An investigation was launched after Animal Control Deputies received multiple complaints of malnourished and unhealthy horses with little or no food or water.

Cassy Newell-Reed has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and is scheduled to appear June 16 in King William General District Court for arraignment.

New Beginnings Horse Rescue, a privately owned facility in Aylett, Virginia, is listed as a place to bring horses to rehabilitate.

The horse rescue took in 11 horses from the Peaceable Farm seizure in Orange County in October of 2015. Six of those seized horses were among the 42 seized Wednesday.

“Unfortunately animal rescue organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia do not have state oversight. They are not inspected or regulated,” the Orange County officials said in a press release.

The county confirmed they have no civil jurisdiction or legal property interest in the horses since they have been moved.

“Our Animal Control Office faced a crisis situation involving more than one hundred horses, and we were led to believe New Beginnings was a legitimate rescue organization,” they continued.

The owner of Peaceable Farm, Anne Williams, faces embezzlement and animal cruelty charges and is set to appear in court Friday, June 10.

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