Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, March 7, 2008

Snohomish County charges Carnation woman with animal cruelty

By Jim Haley
Herald Writer

 A Carnation woman who was charged last week with animal cruelty in King County faces five more counts of first-degree animal cruelty in Snohomish County after she allegedly let six other horses starve to death on her property near Monroe.

Authorities seized surviving horses from Jean Marie Elledge's properties in Monroe and Carnation last month after animal control agents found dead and undernourished horses in her fields, according to court documents.

King County officers found four dead horses and took 10 starving animals after raiding her boarding and breeding business in Carnation.

Snohomish County authorities seized 10 horses and found five dead, according to documents. A sixth starving horse was so sick it had to be put down after being rescued, documents said.

Elledge, 56, could face even more charges in Snohomish County Superior Court, deputy prosecutor Walt Sowa said in charging papers.

Sowa said more animal cruelty charges would be filed "if this case is not resolved with a plea agreement acceptable to the state."

Elledge told King County authorities said she has 12 years of experience boarding and breeding horses, according to court papers. She allegedly told investigators that she hired unreliable people to help her run her two horse farms.

Elledge said she didn't think that her horses were in poor condition, according to documents. The dead horses included some of hers and some that were being boarded on her properties.

Elledge, who is free on bail, could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Since July, Snohomish County animal control officer Lisa Lyons has been in repeated contact with Elledge concerning proper feeding and care of the animals, Sowa said.

In December, the officer met with Elledge and told her some of the horses on her Monroe property were a little thin and needed extra hay because it was winter and there was no grass for them to eat.

She also told Elledge that in the cold and wind the animals needed extra energy to keep warm and healthy.

"Elledge assured (the officer) that she would start feeding more to the horses," Sowa said.

On Jan. 22, Lyons received a complaint that two stallions were down, stuck in the mud and would die if they didn't get help. When she arrived, Lyons found two "very, very thin" dead horses.

Two days later, a veterinarian examined the horses on Elledge's property and advised her how to nourish her other undernourished animals. Lyons also went over the feeding instruction with Elledge, Sowa said.

On Feb. 19 Lyons was told that two more horses had died, and she found a third newly dead horse when she went to the property. According to marks in the ground, two of the horses went down and tried to get back on their feet but couldn't, Sowa said.

Lyons inspected the feed grain at small horse trailer near the pasture.

"There was not enough to feed all the horses and it was of poor quality, moldy and sour smelling with no nutritional value," Sowa said.



Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or jhaley@heraldnet.com.
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