A horse owned by Gordon Kelley fell through a fence on Orndorff Mill Road last week and laid in a ditch until it was struck by a car.

The horse had to be “put down” by the Logan County Sheriff's Department who are now investigating the incident as a possible neglect case.

Sheriff Wallace Whittaker told the N-D&L Friday that his department would be speaking with Kelley on Monday and opening up the case to see if neglect played a part in the horse's demise.

According to George Offutt, an agent for the state's agricultural division, the horse fell through the fence and slid into the ditch. Offutt said he responded to the incident but unless disease played a factor of the horse's death his department could not intervene.

“In matters of neglect or inhumane treatment the county is the agency responsible for investigation,” Offutt said.

The sheriff's department and Emergency Communications Center (ECC) have received complaints about Kelley's horses in the past, including one on Aug. 27 and one on Sept. 19 reporting the Kelley horses had no food and or water and appeared to be starving.

There is also a report which lies in the County Attorney's Office concerning Kelley's horses and possible neglect.

Local veterinarian Jon Todd was called out to the incident as well and took fecal samples which came back showing the horse was full of worms.

Todd said this usually occurs when a horse eats other horse's droppings.

“This can happen when there is not enough pasture and the horse ends up eating what is on the ground,” Todd said.

Mr. Kelley was contacted and questioned about the incident. He said he sold all the horses as of Saturday and realized the amount of horses he had was too many for one man to handle; however, he claims he fed and watered them and the reason why some of them were “ribby” was because of their age.

“I have had horses for 30 years and the horses I just sold I have raised,” Kelley said, “I believe the horse that had to be put down Wednesday was because it got hit by a car and not because it was wormy or because of malnutrition.”

Kelly admitted there was no police report done on the incident because it was a hit and run and nobody saw the horse get hit but he said you could tell there was trauma on the horse.

Kelley said the horse probably got out because his electric fence had no electricity running in it due to a previous storm that knocked down a pole. He said he knew he should have gotten it fixed sooner.

Kelley said he sold the horses this weekend because his water bill was very high and he didn't need to continue paying that high of a bill. He noted that a month or so before the Wednesday incident one of his horses got stuck in the pond. He said Offutt and another individual came out to help and at that time he asked Offutt if he was in trouble.

“Offutt told me no in front of a witness. If my horses were starving then I would have been told,” Kelley said. “Worms are not a disease and 99 percent of horses in Logan County have worms.”