Cruelty count against walking horse trainer dismissed

Tennessee walking Equus caballus trainer Larry Joe Wheelon, defendant of felony creature cruelty involving alleged soring, has had the accuse against him dismissed later a procedural occupation meant a crucial witnesses could non testify.

Judge Robert Headrick dismissed the accuse against the 68-year-old Maryville, Tennessee, trainer belatedly on Th later ruling that a primal witness, US Department of Agriculture veterinary medical officeholder Dr Bart Sutherland, would non last allowed to hand evidence.

Sutherland, who undertook the assessment of soreness on horses seized from Wheelon’s stables, had flown inward from out-of-state to hand evidence inward the case, beingness heard inward Blount County.

In an apparent procedural fault yesteryear a federal agent, Sutherland was ushered into courtroom together with sat for thirty minutes piece evidence was beingness given.

Judge Headrick had before ordered that upcoming witnesses last excluded from the courtroom.

When Sutherland was called to hand evidence, Wheelon’s counsel, Rob White, lodged an objection, together with the estimate ruled that the veterinary could non testify.

This meant Blount County Assistant District Attorney Ellen Berez could non create evidence of the exam results on She’s Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Sweeper, the Equus caballus Wheelon was charged amongst abusing.

The prosecution representative closed shortly later together with White asked that the accuse last dismissed for lack of evidence.

Headrick, inward dismissing the felony count, said: “There may last evidence out there, only I tin solely dominion on what I convey before me. I convey no other choice only to grant Mr White’s displace to flame the charge.”

Arrangements are directly beingness made for the supply of nineteen horses removed from Wheelon’s Blount County stable inward the raid inward mid-April. Most were owned yesteryear others who had engaged the services of Wheelon for training.

The ongoing attention of the animals had been arranged yesteryear the Humane Society of the United States, which had assisted the Blount County Sheriff’s Office amongst the functioning at Wheelon’s stable that ultimately led to his arrest.

 

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