Jun 30, 2008 7:56 pm US/Pacific
Horse Sanctuary Owner Gets Jail Time For Abuse
LANCASTER
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The owner of a horse sanctuary in Lancaster was given two years in jail when she pleaded no contest to animal cruelty charges.
CBS
A Lancaster woman was immediately sentenced to two years and eight months in state prison Monday after she pleaded no contest to animal cruelty charges.
The charges stemmed from a dog and a horse that had to be put down after Animal Control officers found the animals in complete neglect.
Janis Ridgeway Damiani, 57, was the manager of a horse rescue in Pearblossom, that authorities said kept a number of horses in deplorable living conditions including being underfed.
Twenty-eight other animal cruelty charges that were filed against her
earlier this month were dismissed as a result of the plea, according toJohn Nantroup, head deputy of the District Attorney's Antelope Valley Office.
Those charges involved 14 other horses and 14 cats that were starving or
severely injured and had to be euthanized, authorities said.
Three independent veterinarians made the decision to euthanize the animals, Deputy District Attorney S. Kelly Cromer said earlier this month.
An estimated 100 horses were removed from the Equus Sanctuary and taken to other facilities, Cromer said.
Damiani was arrested June 15 at the Equus Sanctuary by officers from the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control following numerous complaints about problems with animals on the property. She has remained jailed since then.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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