Witnesses tell of finding weak, starving horses; trial opens on charges of cruelty

Karen Miller, Arabian Horse Club of Greater Toledo president, said horses she saw at the Vess farm in January were emaciated, lethargic, and quiet. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Shayna Roberts, a humane society veterinary technician, said that she found one dead horse, three that were too weak to stand, and 37 others in poor condition at the Vess farm on Jan. 29. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

PORT CLINTON - On the first day of the long-awaited animal-cruelty trial of Robin Vess, the Oak Harbor woman accused of starving dozens of horses, two witnesses described how they arrived on her farm to find the animals desperately weak, skinny, and dehydrated.

Shayna Roberts, a veterinary technician for the Humane Society of Ottawa County, said that when she got to Ms. Vess' farm on Jan. 29, she discovered one dead horse, three that had fallen and were too weak to get up, and 37 horses that were "very skinny" and living in stalls covered in feces.

"There was no water in the trough for the horses, nor food," Ms. Roberts recalled. "It was a pretty intense moment."

In separate testimony, veterinarian Irene Lavigne told jurors that upon inspecting the animals at the farm she found their body masses to be below healthy levels and said the cause probably was malnourishment. She recounted euthanizing several horses because they were too weak and would not survive a trip to a hospital.

"We did notice that they were all a body condition score of three or less, meaning a three you can easily see the rib cage on the horses,"

Dr. Lavigne said. "On every horse we could see that, even [under] winter coats that are long and thick."

However, defense attorney Mark Davis questioned whether the animals were thin because of lack of food and asserted that some of the horses were "fat." He challenged the accuracy of humane society records on the horses because many photographs Ms. Roberts took of the animals were taken a few days after they were removed from the farm.

"I was taking pictures as quickly as I could and [the horses] didn't change that drastically," Ms. Roberts replied.

Mr. Davis also accused Ms. Roberts of withholding food from the animals to preserve them as "evidence" once they had been taken to the Sandusky County Fairgrounds, a charge Ms. Roberts denied.

Ms. Vess, 55, who wore a bright pink sweater to court yesterday, remained quiet throughout the trial in Ottawa County Municipal Court, occasionally turning to speak with her lawyer.

Mr. Davis has said previously that Ms. Vess suffers from depression and cited her illness as one of the reasons why she struggled to care for her horses.

During opening statements yesterday, Mr. Davis asked the jury, consisting of seven women and three men, to pause and consider during the testimony whether there is enough evidence to prove that Ms. Vess is guilty of animal cruelty and whether at any point she showed "criminal intent."

He pointed to Ms. Vess' consultation with Dr. Lavigne prior to Jan. 29 as proof that she had asked for help.

"If she's looking for help, can she be reckless?" Mr. Davis asked. "Carefully consider that there's no guilt in this case, that Robin Vess is innocent of any charges of animal cruelty."

But Ottawa County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Schuh told jurors that Ms. Vess, who has owned horses since she was young and founded the Arabian Horse Club of Greater Toledo, knew enough about horses not to let them starve.

"Robin Vess is a very knowledgeable horsewoman," Mr. Schuh stated. "She knows what she's doing when it comes to horses."

Mr. Schuh also defended the humane society's decision to remove the horses from the farm, which has been criticized by some people close to the case as a move that increased stress on the animals.

"The humane society seized the animals for the horses' best interest," Mr. Schuh said. "The facts of this case will show that all of these horses were tortured and none of them were given a sufficient quantity of good food and water."

Also testifying yesterday was Karen Miller, president of the Arabian Horse Club of Greater Toledo. Ms. Miller said she had known Ms. Vess since 1989 and her horses had been in good condition in the past. However, she said that when she visited the fairgrounds after January's rescue, the horses she saw were "emaciated," lethargic, and quiet.

Ms. Vess is facing 42 counts of animal cruelty. If found guilty, she faces a maximum penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine for each count.

Her trial is set to resume today at 8 a.m.

Contact Claudia Boyd-Barrett at:

cbarrett@theblade.com

or 419-724-6272.