The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has charged a South County horse owner with felony cruelty to animals, according to a Nov. 14 press release. County Animal Control this week seized the herd, which remained after a neighbor and a rescue center tried to help by buying some of the most neglected animals.
Many of the horses owned by Humberto Rivas Uribe, 51, in Gilroy and Morgan Hill were found to be emaciated and neglected, authorities said. Some were malnourished and ill. One bay colt died in September from complications due to intestinal parasites a day after Uribe sold it to the Equine Rescue Center and Sanctuary.
Uribe is currently in custody in San Mateo County on unrelated charges, according to the D.A.’s office. Facing a $250,000 warrant, he will be arraigned in Morgan Hill at a later date. If convicted, Uribe could face jail time.
Toward the end of September, the D.A.’s Office began receiving numerous complaints from members of the public deeply concerned about the treatment and care of horses located on Maple Avenue in Morgan Hill and Center Road in Gilroy, the press release said.
After reviewing the information obtained from the public and the reports from county animal control, the D.A.’s office assigned a Deputy D.A. and a D.A.’s investigator to assist animal control in their investigation of possible animal cruelty and neglect, according to the press release.
Supervising Deputy D.A. Steve Lowney and Deputy D.A. Alexandra Ellis met with concerned citizens several times, the press release said. During the course of October and the beginning of November, Ellis and investigators, along with animal control officers, interviewed the defendant, witnesses, and collected evidence.
Earlier this year, a concerned neighbor bought three of the horses, while the ERC purchased a dozen more. But Uribe acquired even more horses.
The more than 30 horses seized this week will be placed with animal rescue agencies or individual ranches, authorities said.
County animal control will begin accepting applications from interested and qualified individuals and horse rescue organizations to adopt the rescued horses, according to a separate press release from the county.
Applications and fees will be posted online at www.sccountypets.org Wednesday, Nov. 19.
“For now, Animal Care and Control has assumed care and feeding of the horses until the horses can be placed in new homes,” said Amy Brown, Director of the Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency. “We will be screening applicants to make sure that potential adopters can properly care for the horses.”
