Lawrence "Bud" Wietholder	Unlawful disposal of dead animals	Camp Point, IL	March 7, 2005
	Neglect of 19 horses	Camp Point, IL	March 15, 2005
	Neglect - 52 horses assessed, 8 horses seized - 3 dead	Greentop, MO Adair County	July 13, 2006

9 convictions for unlawful disposal of dead animals in 11 years

Camp Point, IL

00/00/2004

(Photo courtesy of the Quincy Herald-Whig) In July 2006, Wietholder, age 60, was arrested after 8 horses were removed from his Adair County, MO farm and after a citizen made a report alleging Wietholder threatened a neighbor.

This is not Wietholder's first brush with the law over horses.  Wietholder was convicted on March 3, 2006 by an Adams County jury on 2 counts of felony and 1 count of misdemeanor animal abuse.  He faces up to 3 years in prison with sentencing set for August 23, 2006.

Adair County Sheriff Leonard Clark executed a search warrant on a 140-acre farm in Salt River Township that Wietholder bought in January.  An inspection by Carman Skelly, statewide investigator for the Humane Society of Missouri, prompted the removal of the horses.  The horses are being assess further at the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, MO for health concerns, including sores, sunburn and possible malnutrition.

Wietholder moved his operation from a 900-acre farm south of Camp Point o several farms in Missouri, including one near Brashear in Adair County.  Wietholder reportedly has land near Lewistown, MO as well.

A hearing will take place in 30 days to determine what will happen with the eight horses that were removed.  The remaining 50 horses will remain on Wietholder’s property with a list of recommendations on how they should be treated.  If convicted,

Wietholder faces up to 3 years in prison for felony animal abuse on the latest charges as well as the possibility of having to divest himself of the all his horses.

In March 2005, authorities removed 19 horses from a heard of more than 300, from Wietholder’s Camp Point farm.  The horses were transported for rehabilitation at Schone’s Friendship Farm in Milan.   16 have since been adopted while 3 died.  Judge Bob Hardwick ordered the farmer to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Wietholder's bond was set at $10,000, meaning he had to post $1,000 for his release when he was arrested.

Both Illinois felony guilty verdicts were for aggravated cruelty to animals involving a horse called Dudley, which had a large growth removed from its hind leg and died 3 weeks after being removed from the farm.  Dudley also suffered from founder, or sore feet.

After a 12 day trial, the jury deliberated for 10 hours and found Wietholder not guilty of 2 counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal, 1 count of misdemeanor cruel treatment, 1 count of violation of owner’s duty and 3 counts of unlawful disposal of dead animals.  Wietholder was found guilty of 2 counts of felony animal abuse and 1 count of violation of owner’s duties involving “Dudley”, a misdemeanor.  He had been facing 10 counts of animal abuse – including 2 felony charges.

Before his March trial, Wietholder had 9 other convictions for unlawful disposal of dead animals in 11 years.  In Adams County in 2004, he was found not guilty of cruelty to animals, but was found guilty of unlawful disposal of a dead animal. He spent 30 days in jail, but was allowed to tend his farm during the day. He was also fined $1,500 and court costs and place on probation for two years. He was also ordered to allow authorities access to his 900-acre livestock farm at any given time.

The Illinois DOA defended its March 15, 2005 decision to impound 19 of Wietholder's horses. HARPS, the Hooved Animal Rescue &Protection Society of Barrington, IL worked with the DOA on the rescue operation. The horses were transferred to Schone's Friendship Farm in rural Milan. 1 buckskin mare had to be euthanized and a bay mare was also put down because the bay's forelegs were badly damaged.

The remaining 16 horses are improving weekly. They'll be stunted, but they will regain their full health, if not their full size stated Ronda Ewing of HARPS. 1 of these horses had a broken jaw.

1 stallion with a red, bulbous growth the size of a football on one leg was transferred to Barrington, that growth was removed by an equine hospital - the cost about $3,000 and required 1 year of post-operative bandaging. The condition is known as Proud Flesh and the charges of cruelty to an animal for this is a Class 4 felony punishable by up to 3 years in prison.

Wietholder and his wife, Joann, ran a 900-acre livestock farm near Quincy, IL.

References:

Quincy Herald Whig

KTVO TV3

KHQA 7

The Quad-City Times

WQAD