Kevin Newman Linda Jones-Newman

73 animals seized from farm

Thompson Township, Susquehanna County, PA

January, 2006

The Newman family in Susquehanna County is fighting to get their animals back after a District Judge ordered the horses, ducks, geese and other animals be returned after they were found not guilty of abuse charges.  Not all of the animals have been returned.  Dozen of animals were placed in foster homes after their owners were charged in February of animal abuse. They are still waiting for six of them.

(Photo courtesy of WNEP)  Kevin Newman and Linda Jones-Newman are happy that they have been vindicated of animal abuse charges but they stated they lost a considerable amount of money in the process.  They had people that came and stayed and took riding lessons, people boarded their horses there, and had 4H kids, and it hurt their business.

Most of the animals returned to the Newmans were in good health but some were not. Newman stated that some of the animals taken needed medications and one of their horse came back totally blind. They pointed out that their horses wear fly masks because the breed is prone to cataracts.  When officials came during the winter they questioned the Newmans why the horses had fly masks on.  Jones-Newman explained that the light on the snow is as harsh as it is on a summer day.

The animals were taken away in January by the Susquehanna County Humane Society and put in foster homes throughout the area. 27 pages of animal cruelty citations were fined against the Newman’s for animal cruelty and deprivation.

A pony that had deep wounds to its back was photographed for evidence.  Veterinarian Ellen Johnson, who has cared for the Newman’s horses since 2001, noticed that some horses were dying and decided to call in the authorities.  It also was reported that the owners did not have sufficient finances to replace grain that had been removed from the horses until authorities could prove that the grain was not accidentally contaminated that might have accounted for the neurological conditions of the horses.

One of the two people who took the animals has not returned them to the Newmans.  One caretaker stated the SPCA had not reimbursed the cost of caring for the animals and she wants to ensure the remaining animals will go to a clean and caring home.

The Susquehanna County District Attorney has filed a petition to have the rest of the animals returned to the Newmans. If the caretaker refuses, they could be charged with contempt of court.

Update 8/24/06:

Some of the animals have not been returned to the Newman's.  One horse named Cloud has been in foster care for 5 months and is blind.  The Newman's claim he was not blind when he was taken from them.  Veterinarian Lise Lund who treated the horse when it was seized reported that the horse is 95-98% blind and at end stage uveitas.

Another issue is with 5 goats and a pony.  The Susquehanna County district attorney has filed a petition to try to get the animals back to the owner but caretakers said they haven't been paid by the PA SPCA.

Dr. Lund blamed the limitations of Pennsylvania law to prosecute the Newmans and is still concerned about the well-being of animals returned to their care.

Reference:

WNEP 16