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San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies have arrested a woman after finding the bodies of 27 dead horses and other malnourished animals on her property in Clement, California, which is about 40 miles (64km) from Sacramento.
Jan Johnson, 62, was charged on Wednesday for cruelty to animals, threatening a public official, issuing threats and possessing a short-barrel shotgun.
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Her arrest came at the conclusion of an ongoing animal neglect investigation, according to a statement from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. The horses were found with limited access to food or water.
The sheriff’s office partnered with Animal Control Services, Oakdale Animal Rescue, and Sweet Equine Animal Clinic to assess the conditions of dozens of animals that were rescued from Johnson’s Clements property.
Oakdale Animal Rescue said in a post on social media that more than 60 horses were rescued. Veterinarians are reportedly still treating animals on the property.
The Rescue says it can house the rescued horses for a while, but it has set up donation pages for funds related to the ongoing care of the animals including “vet care, farrier, feed, and other horse needs.”
Johnson is associated with a horse farm company in Clements, San Joaquin County, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as a livestock company in Stanislaus County.
Sixteen of the rescued horses were transferred to Oakdale Equine Rescue for further medical attention and rehabilitation. Four horses and one bull had to be euthanized because of “extreme neglect,” the sheriff’s office said.
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