Animal neglect gets woman 30 days in jail

NEILLSVILLE - A Clark County woman will serve 30 days in jail after her Friday convictions in connection with a large-scale animal-neglect case filed last year.

Carolyn M. Christie, 54,of Neillsville, was accused of criminally neglecting 49 animals, primarily dogs and horses, in 2015. She was convicted on three counts Friday and ordered to work with a veterinarian to manage her remaining herd of 20 horses and develop a plan to cut it down by Oct. 1 to 12 animals. Clark County Circuit Judge Jon Counsell  also ordered Christie to serve two years of probation, and he dismissed 23 misdemeanor charges of neglect, mistreatment or failing to provide proper shelter as part of a plea deal.

Christie told Counsell she tried to sell the animals before the situation "exploded" last August and deputies seized the animals. She said she advertised to try to find the horses and dogs homes and contacted animal shelters. She said she tried to work with a deputy to place some of the dogs, but he got called away and never came back to take any of the dogs.

Since deputies responded to Christie's property at N4139 Marg Ave. in the town of Pine Valley on Aug. 16, several other calls have been made concerning the remaining horses, Clark County District Attorney Lyndsey Brunette said.

RELATED: 43 dogs, 6 horses seized in Clark County

Officials checking on the animals questioned whether there was enough room for pasturing the 20 horses that remained in Christie's care, Brunette said. Christie then moved the horses and wouldn't tell deputies where the animals were for a period of time, Brunette said.

None of the animals Christie had in her care in August died, but several were close to death, Brunette said. Veterinarians thought one of the horses wouldn't make it, she said. The temperature on the day Clark County deputies took the animals was in the 80s and many of the animals had no shade or water, Brunette said.

Brunette said some jail time for Christie was necessary to send a message that the type of treatment of animals she displayed would not be tolerated. Brunette also said 20 horses is too many for Christie to care for.

Christie will be under supervision for two years, said Paul Fredrickson, Christie's attorney. Christie can learn the proper care of the animals while being watched, Fredrickson said. It would be worse to take all of the animals away from Christie and then have her get more after her probation without having been taught the correct way to care for them, Fredrickson said.

Counsell warned Christie she was not to acquire any more animals. When Christie asked him about stray cats that have been coming to her house, Counsell told her not to feed them and to be sure to contact the Clark County Sheriff's Department, if the cats need to be removed. Counsell warned Christie that any infraction would mean she would lose all the horses.

Counsell gave Christie until June 15 to submit a herd management plan for the horses. Christie also must be sure deputies always have access to inspect the animals conditions, Counsell said.

The Clark County Humane Society took custody of the dogs, and in September, people packed the shelter to adopt them, said Cheri Wagner, Clark County Humane Society director of administrative services. People donated hundreds of pounds of dog food, along with blankets and cleaning supplies, she said. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin readers donated 950 pounds of dog food to the shelter.

The Midwest Horse Welfare Foundation took custody of the six worst horses on the farm, said Karen Bayerl, co-director of the foundation. The horses are doing fantastic, including a black mare named Faith that vets thought would die, Bayerl said. The foundation has found homes for most of the horses, including a blind mare and pony.

"These horses were in really, really bad shape," Bayerl said. "It was quite a long process before they got adopted."

The foundation currently is looking for a home for a colt that was about 3 months old when he was taken in August, Bayerl said. The foundation keeps ownership of all the horses it adopts, and those who take custody of the horses must show that the animals have been seen by a veterinarian every year and must send a photo of the horses, Bayerl said.

Christie originally was charged with 26 misdemeanor counts, including charges of providing improper shelter, failing to provide food and mistreating animals.

You can contact reporter Karen Madden at 715-424-7308, karen.madden@gannettwisconsin.com or follow her on Twitter@KMadden715 .