Two admit to killing wild horses in Northern Nevada

RENO — Two men changed their pleas Wednesday and acknowledged that they shot and killed five wild horses in a case that flooded U.S. prosecutors with thousands of e-mails from around the world expressing outrage at the slaughter.

Todd Davis, 45, admitted in federal court in Reno that he and Joshua Keathley, 36, had been drinking and used “poor judgment” when they shot the horses with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in November near the Nevada-California line.

Prosecutors said they offered no plea bargain and intend to seek the maximum penalty of one year in jail and $100,000 fine for each of the men at their sentencing, set for Sept. 14.

“The intentional and malicious harassment, abuse and killing of federally protected wild horses should not and will not be tolerated,” said Dan Bogden, U.S. attorney for Nevada.

In changing their pleas, the two Lovelock men admitted to U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert McQuaid that they shot the horses about 150 miles northwest of Reno, a violation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami said the two men shot into a herd of eight to 10 horses and watched at least four fall to their deaths.

“We feel justice has been served at this point,” Fahami said after the court appearance.

Fahami said she and Bogden received a total of about 24,000 e-mails and letters.

“There has been great public interest in this case. And it’s not just in Washoe County, not just in Nevada, not just in the United States,” she said. “We’ve received e-mails from all over the world.”

The men were charged in January with “maliciously causing the death of a wild horse.”