A convicted Morgan Hill horse abuser agreed to pay more than $113,000 in restitution to nine animal rescue organizations that took in and cared for more than three dozen horses that were removed from his care at an Aug. 7 hearing at the South County Courthouse.
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Ellis said the restitution agreement was the final goal of four that her office set out to attain after being alerted to the situation by concerned residents late last year.
“We’re very, very happy to get the orders and get that closure in less than a year,” Ellis said. “We fought hard for it. But, at the same time, the defendant did accept early responsibility and agreed to the amounts we were seeking.”
Local rancher Humberto Rivas Uribe, 51, was found guilty of felony animal cruelty back in January and sentenced to 90 days in jail for the offense. He also was issued five years of probation with counseling and cannot own, have care or custody of any animals for at least 10 years.
Uribe was charged with animal cruelty by the DA’s office Nov. 14, 2014 following months of complaints from residents, according to authorities. His horses, which he housed on a pasture in Morgan Hill and a ranch in Gilroy, were seized by the county’s Animal Care and Control office Nov. 13. A total of 38 horses were seized and placed with several equine rescue centers.
Those caregivers will now be paid back for their care by Rivas, who agreed to begin making payments totaling $113,446.26 to the nine organizations for their accrued expenses in caring for the horses.
“I’m speechless,” said Morgan Hill resident Trina Hinesar. “I know this is going to set a precedent for other (animal abuse) cases in the future, especially in California and the Bay area.”
Hinesar, the next-door neighbor to Rivas’ Maple Avenue property in rural Morgan Hill, was one of the first to alert county authorities of the suspected mistreatment of horses under Rivas’ care. Along with several other concerned residents in the same area, Hinesar began documenting the abuse with photographs of the malnourished horses and the conditions in which they were kept on the social media site Facebook.
“It’s a huge, huge win,” said Hinesar of the outcome from the restitution hearing. “I’m so proud of all the rescues for coming together the way they did and getting this case prosecuted the way they did.”
Hinesar said Rivas still resides at the Maple Avenue ranch.
Ellis said the DA office’s four goals were: 1) Hold the defendant accountable for all his actions; 2) Make sure the horses in his custody were removed; 3) Make it so he could not harm another animal; and 4) Get restitution to the nonprofit organizations that took those horses in.
“It means everything,” said Ellis, noting that the Department of Revenue will determine the monthly payment Rivas will pay to the groups until the tabs are paid off in full. “This was a great result.”
