7/12/13 - With less than a week before her trial, a Cohoctah Township womanâs motion to dismiss animal cruelty charges against her was granted. At a hearing yesterday, Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty heard a motion by 71-year-old Velva Jean Wainscott to dismiss the single count of abandoning or cruelty to 10 or more horses. He granted her motion to dismiss the charge, and later recalled the court to clarify that he was dismissing the charge with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be brought forward again. The charge was filed after authorities raided Wainscottâs Byron Road home last November and seized the horses following ongoing complaints about the animals being neglected and running free. Wainscott has denied mistreating the horses and blamed the raid on an overly-zealous Animal Control department. In March, a ruling allowed Wainscott to retain ownership of the animals. (TD)
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