SPRINGVILLE – A Springville man was arrested on Thursday, January 4, on a Level 6 felony charge of failure to dispose of a deceased animal.
Police detained 69-year-old Raymond Blake.
According to Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Animal Control Officer Chad Hillenburg, on Wednesday, January 3, at 9:42 a.m., the sheriff’s department received a complaint about horses running loose in the 300 block of Reuter Lane in Springville.
When Officer Hillenburg arrived, he spoke to the female caller, who said the horses belonged to Blake, who lived in the 400 block of Reuter Lane. The officer then went to Blake’s home. As Officer Hillenburg approached Blake’s home, he found a dead Appaloosa horse in a watershed west of the driveway. The horse had been dead for several days and was decomposing.
Blake told the officer he had four horses on his property which were all in the fence. But Officer Hillenburg found evidence the horses had been running loose and a damaged fence at the corner of the property near the driveway.
Blake was asked about the dead horse. Blake said the horse was approximately 39 years old. He was then told about the proper disposal of a dead animal and he was ordered to dispose of the animal within 24 hours since he said he was not aware of the law.
According to police records, this was not the first time dead horses were located on the property; in 2019, former Animal Control Officer Lola Nicholson and LCPD Capt. Andrew Phillips had found six dead horses on Blake’s property.
Officer Hillenburg returned the next day at 11:30 a.m., and the dead horse was still lying in the same location as the day before.
Blake told the officer he couldn’t get his neighbor to bury the animal within the required time limit.
He was detained. On the way to jail, Officer Hillenburg asked Blake about the prior death of horses on his property, and he acknowledged the incident and admitted he knew the law.
Blake then apologized and said he didn’t mean to lie about it.
