A California woman accused of abusing several horses is no longer facing charges after they were dismissed in Flathead County District Court earlier this month.
Cynthia Jean Hamilton, 68, of Norco, California, was initially charged with one felony count of aggravated animal cruelty. She pleaded not guilty to that charge in February.
In a motion to dismiss filed by Flathead County Deputy Attorney John Donovan on July 1, the state moved to dismiss the aggravated animal cruelty charge “in the interest of justice.” The case was dismissed without prejudice.
The horses are no longer in Hamilton’s care.
Last fall, law enforcement served a search warrant and found 17 severely malnourished horses at a Columbia Falls residence. They found five horses significantly underweight, charging documents said.
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Officers made contact with Hamilton, who said she wasn’t able to afford food for the animals. She also disclosed that she had more horses at a separate address in Kalispell. Authorities traveled to the second address and seized 12 more horses.
Donovan said he couldn’t comment specifically on the agreement reached in the case, but confirmed the state has custody of the horses and is working to find an appropriate placement for them.
“The county is aware of current economic factors that animal owners face in general. If owning and caring for animals financially becomes difficult to the point where animals are suffering, the county advocates for reaching out to county officials for help,” he added.