August 24, 2023
A Frisco City, Alabama, couple has been charged with animal cruelty for the alleged abuse of horses near Century.
Katy Lynell Jones, 27, and Richard Allen Jones, Jr., 25, were both charged with two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty. They were released from jail on a $10,000 bond each.
The alleged abuse took place between July 2022 and February 2023, on Killam Road west of Century.
On February 4, 2023, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office received a call to Killam Road about a horse that was down and suffering after not being fed.
Editor’s note: Some readers may find the following details disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Deputies arrived and found the horse on the ground, and it appeared from a distance to be deceased. As deputies approached the horse, the horse raised its head in an attempt to get up but was barely able to move.
“I observed the horse to be extremely emaciated, with its rib bones and hip bones projecting prominently. I observed the area around the horse spine to be sunk in with the spine projecting prominently. I observed the ground around the horse to be torm and dug up in a circular area where the horse had obviously thrashed and spun around on the ground in an attempt to get up. The horse had its head and neck lying in horse feces. After observing the horse, it was obvious that the horse had been there for a while,” a deputy wrote in the arrest report.
Another horse in the pasture was extremely emaciated with a cracked and split hoof. A small pony and goat were also present but appeared to be fine.
There was no food or remnants of food, the water trough was dry and grass was dead due to winter.
“I observed the barb wire fence around the pasture to have large amounts of horse hair stuck in the barb wire where the horses had obviously tried pushing on the barb wire to get to the green grass on the outside of the pasture,” the deputy wrote.
Escambia County Animal Control and the Escambia County livestock officer were notified.
It was determined that the animals belonged to husband and wife Katy and Richard Jones who had lived in the home on the property several months prior.
The son of the property owner arrived and told deputies that the Jones family had moved from the property in July 2022. He stated that he fed the animals the day before and texted Katy and Richard Jones to advise them that there was no more food. Robert Jones told him that they were moving the animals on February 5, the report states.
In a FaceTime conversation with the animal control officer, Katy Jones said the last time the animals were fed was February 2 by Richard Jones, and that they had a bale of hay about two weeks prior, the report states.
Katy Jones told a deputy by phone that she did check on the downed horse the day before and it “got up for a good bit but went back down”, according to the ECSO. She stated that a veterinarian had not been contacted.
All of the animals were removed from the property by authorities.