ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) The case against a Los Lunas feedlot operator unraveled when a paid expert veterinarian was unable to say several dying horses were victims of abuse. According to the Albuquerque Journal, prosecutors also couldn't prove that Dennis V. Chavez had control of the emaciated animals for a long time or that there was a delay in euthanizing the ailing animals.
Animal cruelty and other misdemeanor charges were filed against Chavez in 2012 after an animalights group recorded video of the horses' final hours, but he only ended up pleading guilty Nov. 25 to four counts of not having a bill of sale for the animals. Other charges were dismissed under a plea agreement.
Chavez attorney Gary Mitchell has said the horses were dropped off at Chavez's property without his knowledge.
