Nevada wild horse case turned over to prosecutors

RENO -- A district attorney is considering whether to file criminal charges against federal land managers accused of mistreating wild horses in a roundup.

Churchill County Sheriff Richard Ingram said his department began an investigation May 20 after an activist filed a complaint alleging that wild horses were abused and neglected at a holding facility.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials said 83 of some 1,900 horses brought there in a government roundup died.

Activists tried to halt the roundup of the animals from the range north of Reno, branding it as unnecessary and inhumane. The BLM maintains the Calico Mountains Complex roundup was necessary because of overpopulation of the herd, which is harming native wildlife and the range and threatening the wild horses with starvation.

Ingram said his investigation report, submitted Thursday, cites a state law that makes "failure to provide proper sustenance" to animals illegal.

"We determined there was water and food provided and a veterinarian at the scene," the sheriff said. "Now, the DA will make a determination as to whether or not the care being provided is sufficient under the law."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Tom Stockard said his office has not had a chance to review the report.

Under the law, he said, any charges would have to be filed against an individual such as BLM officials, the contractor or facility employees.

A first offense is a mis­demeanor that carries a penalty of two days to six months in jail, 48 hours to 120 hours of community service and a $200 to $1,000 fine.

Aleta T. Wagner of Denver, whose complaint spurred the investigation, accused the BLM of providing inadequate medical care for the wild horses at the holding facility near Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno.