Arizona Couple Charged for Horse's Death

Horse.com

An Arizona couple face multiple animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing a 26-year-old Arabian mare by injecting the animal with a homemade cocktail of pool acid and sodium bicarbonate. The pair are also charged with maltreating a 15-year-old horse.
County Sheriff's Department Animal Crimes detectives discovered the animals last month when a tipster who was hired to dispose of the mare's carcass informed authorities about the horse's death. Both animals were emaciated, said sheriff's department spokesperson, Deputy Lindsey Smith.
"At the time of death, the mare had a body score of 1, and the other horse had a body score of 1.5," Smith said.
A necropsy later confirmed the mare's death by chemical injection.
The surviving horse is receiving rehabilitative care from inmates at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Animal Safe Haven facility.
On Tuesday, law enforcement authorities charged the horses' caretakers, Laurel George and John Henkle, each with two counts of felony animal cruelty and two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Henkle is also charged with one count class six felony cruelty to animals in a manner that causes protracted suffering for administering the injection. Both remain in jail.