A Winlock woman who faced allegations of neglecting horses, pigs and chickens to the point that two of the horses had to be euthanized will pay $1,800 in fines after she pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty in Lewis County Superior Court last week.
Kelly M. Walker, 37, pleaded guilty to first-degree animal cruelty on Aug. 24 and per her plea agreement, one count of first-degree animal cruelty and 13 counts of second-degree animal cruelty were dropped, according to court documents.
Walker had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges back in June.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, in February, a Lewis County animal control officer responded to Walker’s property in the 1200 block of North Military Road after receiving a report of possible animal abuse on the property.
The officer was not able to contact Walker, but did see horses that appeared to be malnourished.
On Feb. 20, a search warrant was obtained and served where they found 13 horses, most of which were retired racing horses, two potbellied pigs and three chickens that were malnourished and had inadequate living spaces.
The horses were reportedly nibbling wood off of the barn because there was no hay or feed.
Because of the neglect, two horses fell down while in foster care and were unable to get up so veterinarians decided it would be best to humanely euthanize the animals.
According to court documents, Walker will not have to serve any time in jail and she is prohibited from owning any new animals for life with the exception of one dog, one cat and the animals she has currently will not be rehomed.
