Indiana Horse Rescue
Equine Division of
Animal Protection Coalition, Inc
a 501(c)3 non profit organization
Apache
Owner sentenced
Herald-press Online
(Huntington, IN)
Man is sentenced for neglect of horse
By JUDY FITZMAURICE
Staff Writer
A rural Huntington County man spent Tuesday night in jail and has been ordered
to complete 200 hours of community service and pay nearly $2,000 in fines and
restitution for neglecting his horse.
Darrell Derossett, 68, 7416 S. Etna Rd.-35, LaFontaine, plead guilty Tuesday in
Superior Court to misdemeanor abandonment or neglect of a vertebrate animal.
Derossett relinquished control of his horse, Apache, in January after officials
were notified of the horse¹s deteriorating physical condition.
A probable cause for the charge was filed Feb. 4 and a warrant was subsequently
issued for Derossett¹s arrest. He first appeared in court on Feb. 10 and posted
$5,000 bond.
Judge Jeffrey Heffelfinger sentenced Derossett on Tuesday to 180 days in jail,
suspending all but two days. He also ordered Derossett to serve one year on
probation, complete 200 hours of community service within 270 days, and pay a
$1,000 fine and court costs as well as $827.82 in restitution.
The restitution is to be paid to the Indiana Horse Rescue Equine Division of the
Animal Protection Coalition, based in Frankfort. Members of the Coalition had
taken over care of Apache on Jan. 14. Although the horse appeared to be somewhat
malnourished, it was the condition of his hooves that concerned officials most.
³His feet did not have proper care,² said Kathryn Caldwell, a member of the
Coalition. ³The coffin bone was coming through the hoof (of the front two feet)
and abscesses were causing permanent damage. He could no longer walk without
pain.²
The horse was also suffering from hypothermia the day he was picked up.
³He could not get up off the ground on his own,² Caldwell said. ³Three men
and a woman helped him up and in the trailer. It was very emotional.²
Apache was under emergency care for eight days before being euthanized Jan. 22.
Apache Apache2 From the Horses Mouth
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