Dead, abused and starved animals seized from Enumclaw farm
ENUMCLAW, Wash. -- She claims she has a degree in equine nutrition, but prosecutors say Karen E. Thomas' neglect of her animals led them to starve, suffer and, in some cases, even die.
Thomas, 46, of Enumclaw has been charged with two counts of first-degree animal cruelty after investigators found dead llama, sheep and chicken, as well as malnourished and sick horses on her property in January.
Officers with the King County Animal Care and Control (KCACC) visited Thomas' property on Jan. 19 after receiving a complaint from a woman who reported having seen a dead llama and a dead sheep lying on Thomas' property for two weeks.
Investigators said they saw the two dead animals the tipster had mentioned, and "heard a distressed beating," according to the statement of probable cause.
Officers entered Thomas' barn and found a female goat "with what appeared to be afterbirth" attached to her, the document said. A newborn goat, as well as a dead newborn goat and two more dead sheep were found nearby.
Also on the property were five horses and three cattle, many in "deep in manure, mud, urine and water" with "no feed or remnants of feed" and empty water troughs, officers wrote.
"The horses stood with their heads hanging low and the cattle bellowed," the statement said. Fences and pieces of lumber were heavily chewed on, officers said, and the few bales of hay in the barn were moldy.
Animal control officers obtained a search warrant and seized all the animals found on Thomas' property.
A veterinarian who examined four of the horses - all mares - said they were "very thin" and had "lice, mild to moderate rain rot (a fungal condition that causes blisters on the skin, loss of hair and severe discomfort) and were in need of dental care," according to the statement. The mares also had "lower than normal body temperatures" likely due to malnutrition, and two of the horses had heart murmurs, the veterinarian said.
The horses were also examined by a farrier, who determined the animals needed "chronic abscesses, lameness, and badly needed hoof care," officials said.
No problems were found with the fifth horse, a stallion.
The rescued goat and the sheep were taken to the county shelter in Kent, where they "voraciously ate the grain and hay presented to them," investigators said.
When asked how much she had fed her animals, Thomas told detectives she gave all of her animals one and a half to two bales twice a day to share -- about half of the appropriate amount.
The January incident was not the first time officials had seized animals from Thomas' property.
In November 2009, investigators found on the property nine severely emaciated horses that had to be euthanized, the statement said.
Officials also found a dead sheep, a dead horse and 10 dead chickens at that time, according to the document, and seven other horses, cattle, goats sheep and llama were seized from the property.
Thomas, 46, of Enumclaw has been charged with two counts of first-degree animal cruelty after investigators found dead llama, sheep and chicken, as well as malnourished and sick horses on her property in January.
Officers with the King County Animal Care and Control (KCACC) visited Thomas' property on Jan. 19 after receiving a complaint from a woman who reported having seen a dead llama and a dead sheep lying on Thomas' property for two weeks.
Investigators said they saw the two dead animals the tipster had mentioned, and "heard a distressed beating," according to the statement of probable cause.
Officers entered Thomas' barn and found a female goat "with what appeared to be afterbirth" attached to her, the document said. A newborn goat, as well as a dead newborn goat and two more dead sheep were found nearby.
Also on the property were five horses and three cattle, many in "deep in manure, mud, urine and water" with "no feed or remnants of feed" and empty water troughs, officers wrote.
"The horses stood with their heads hanging low and the cattle bellowed," the statement said. Fences and pieces of lumber were heavily chewed on, officers said, and the few bales of hay in the barn were moldy.
Animal control officers obtained a search warrant and seized all the animals found on Thomas' property.
A veterinarian who examined four of the horses - all mares - said they were "very thin" and had "lice, mild to moderate rain rot (a fungal condition that causes blisters on the skin, loss of hair and severe discomfort) and were in need of dental care," according to the statement. The mares also had "lower than normal body temperatures" likely due to malnutrition, and two of the horses had heart murmurs, the veterinarian said.
The horses were also examined by a farrier, who determined the animals needed "chronic abscesses, lameness, and badly needed hoof care," officials said.
No problems were found with the fifth horse, a stallion.
The rescued goat and the sheep were taken to the county shelter in Kent, where they "voraciously ate the grain and hay presented to them," investigators said.
When asked how much she had fed her animals, Thomas told detectives she gave all of her animals one and a half to two bales twice a day to share -- about half of the appropriate amount.
The January incident was not the first time officials had seized animals from Thomas' property.
In November 2009, investigators found on the property nine severely emaciated horses that had to be euthanized, the statement said.
Officials also found a dead sheep, a dead horse and 10 dead chickens at that time, according to the document, and seven other horses, cattle, goats sheep and llama were seized from the property.