Horses, goats seized in Polk County animal cruelty case, 5 arrested: 'Deplorable'

horses, goats seized in animal cruelty case

FOX 13's Carla Bayron talked with a spokesperson with the Polk County Sheriff's Office about the arrests made and the charges that the suspects face after multiple horses and goats were found malnourished.

LAKE WALES, Fla. - Polk County deputies say five people face charges after animals, including a horse that died, were found neglected on a property containing "numerous environmental hazards."

The backstory:

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, investigators got a tip about two horses in a field that appeared to be malnourished.

Investigators say they visited the property off Poe Rd. near Lake Wales on Sunday, June 1, and found eight horses, 11 goats and two sheep.

Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.

One of the horses was dead by the time detectives arrived, and multiple others were in poor condition, according to PCSO.

Deputies say they also found piles of solid waste – including rotting household trash – along with scrap metal, waste wood, 23 tires, hundreds of flies and broken appliances scattered throughout the property.

In addition, PCSO says investigators found a trough filled with a mixture of antifreeze and gasoline, which leaked into the water the animals were drinking.

READ: Animal welfare advocates call for change amidst 'dog overpopulation and euthanasia crisis' in Polk County

Deputies say they spoke with Joemanuel Nunez-Suarez, 40, who claimed he was taking care of the animals for a friend and had asked the friend to pick up the livestock three months ago because it was too expensive to feed them.

Investigators arrested Nunez-Suarez on charges of felony animal cruelty, misdemeanor animal cruelty and confining animals without proper food, care or sustenance.

Mugshot of Joemanuel Nunez-Suarez. Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Dig deeper:

Along with Nunez-Suarez, deputies arrested four other adults found on the property:

Barbara SuarezAnimal neglect and resisting arrest
Animal neglect and resisting arrest
Hennycha Rosa RosaResisting arrest
Resisting arrest
Jorge Almeida RodriguezEnvironmental crimes
Environmental crimes
Idanys QuevetoEnvironmental crimes
Environmental crimes

PCSO also says children were living with the adults in "various structures" on the property, but it's not clear how many or who's currently taking care of them.

READ: 6 neglected dogs without food or water rescued from Polk County home, 2 men arrested: PCSO

What they're saying:

Sheriff Grady Judd released a statement, saying: "We appreciate the tipster who alerted us to the deplorable conditions on this property. It's a shame we were unable to save one of the abused horses, but we will make it our mission to rehabilitate all of the animals that were subjected to this filth and neglect, and ensure these suspects are never again allowed to own animals."

"I would say the majority of our animal cruelty investigations begin with an anonymous tip where someone saw something and said something especially with livestock because they usually are out in fields or pastures and property where others can see them," said Carrie Horstman, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

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The Source: This story was written with information from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

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