By Tonia Rose - Staff Writer
A jury trial for the man accused in 21 counts of second-degree animal cruelty involving 11 horses found dead in Rowan County has been set for December.
Bryan T. Simpson, 45, appeared in Rowan County District Court Wednesday for a pretrial conference in the case where 11 horses were found dead and 10 were discovered malnourished in May 2008 on a farm along KY 32.
The animals were left in the care of Simpson when their owner Don Miller fell sick, said Rowan County Sheriff Deputy Gary Lanham.
When the horses were discovered Miller told police he suffered from a heart condition and was too ill to care for the animals.
Through the investigation, police determined 11 horses had died between January and April 8, 2008.
“Food and water was on the premises, but none was in the stalls with the horses,” Lanham said during the investigation in May. “I’m not saying they were starved, but when you look at an animal and its hair is falling out, and you can count every bone, that pretty much tells you it has not received proper care.”
According to police, Simpson owed Miller a large sum of money and had been working to pay off the debt by caring for the horses and mending fences.
The trial is set for Dec. 10 and 11 in Rowan District Court. A final pretrial conference is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m. Attorney Michael Curtis of Ashland is representing Simpson in the case. Assistant Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins will be the prosecutor.
