A trail of stolen saddles and assorted horse tack led San Benito
County sheriff’s detectives to arrest a former San Benito County
resident for animal cruelty and possession of stolen property
Wednesday.
Hollister – A trail of stolen saddles and assorted horse tack led San Benito County sheriff’s detectives to arrest a former San Benito County resident for animal cruelty and possession of stolen property Wednesday.
Amber Mary Redondo, 26, was arrested for stealing several saddles and other horse equipment, and for neglecting one of her horses so severely that authorities had to put the animal down, said Detective Jeff Goodwin. Between the two felony charges, Redondo could face up to a year in the county jail or have to pony up a maximum of $20,000, according to the state penal code.
Goodwin said a county resident who had equestrian equipment pinched from her residence last September learned saddles matching the description of her stolen ones were being kept at a ranch in the 7700 block of Lover’s Lane. The elderly ranch owner was doing Redondo a favor by keeping her tack, along with four horses, at her residence, Goodwin said. She didn’t realize the property was stolen, he said.
Deputies executed a search warrant on the property last week and recovered the stolen items, which the burglary victim identified as hers. While deputies were at the ranch they noticed one of Redondo’s horses was severely injured. Redondo currently lives in Merced County but owns property in the Panoche area, and isn’t in San Benito often, Goodwin said.
Redondo was arrested at the sheriff’s department Wednesday after giving her statement to detectives, then booked in the county jail around 5:30pm in lieu of $40,000. She posted bail two hours later, according to jail personnel.
The 21-year-old thoroughbred had an injury to its right-front leg and hoof, which went untreated and spawned a severe infection in its foot and joint, said animal control supervisor Julie Carreiro.
“The horse was in a lot of pain,” Carreiro said. “It was standing on three legs because its foot hurt so bad.”
Carreiro didn’t know how long the horse had been hurt, but said a veterinarian tried to save it but was unable to.
She said horses often get minor injuries, and it’s incumbent on their owners to check them out every so often to make sure they’re well. If the horse had received medical care sooner it probably would have been fine, she said.
Animal control will be doing follow up investigations on Redondo’s other three horses to make sure someone is taking care of them properly, Carreiro said. She said the county receives a number of dog cruelty cases annually, but only one or two cases of horse cruelty a year.
“This is a rural area and most people are pretty horse-savvy,” she said. “But if anybody suspects horse cruelty is going on they should give us a call so we can investigate it. They shouldn’t have to suffer.”
To anonymously report animal cruelty call animal control at 636-4320.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
