John Jefferson
Background: Police photo of horses being rescued from the Clements, Cali. property belonging to Jan Johnson (San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office). Inset: Jan Johnson (San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office).
A California woman was arrested after police found 27 dead horses on her property and several more animals in a state of neglect.
Jan Johnson, 62, faces several criminal charges including animal cruelty, threatening a public official, and possession of a short-barrel shotgun. According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, an “ongoing animal neglect investigation” yielded a search warrant at Johnson’s property in Clements, California. When officers arrived on Jan. 22, they discovered the bodies of 27 deceased horses and dozens more in various states of neglect and starvation.
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. The sheriff’s office said that several horses found on Johnson’s property were “severely malnourished” with “limited access to any food or water.” Police said that four horses and a bull had to be euthanized due to their poor health.
Oakdale Animal Rescue said in a post on their Facebook page that more than 60 horses were rescued. Veterinarians are reportedly still treating animals on the property. They also shared that they were able to house the rescued horses for the time being but set up donation pages for funds related to the ongoing care of the animals, including “vet care, farrier, feed, and other horse needs.”
Johnson was arrested and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. Records show that she was released on Jan. 22. KOVR, a local CBS affiliate, reported that Johnson had outstanding warrants for making threats to a school, employees, and officers. In addition to the animal cruelty charges, she was charged with making criminal threats. Johnson is expected to be arraigned in court on Jan. 24.
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