Trial date set for Idaho man accused of animal abuse in death of 4 horses

A southwestern Idaho man who was charged with misdemeanor animal abuse after four of his horses were found dead in a pasture earlier this year will go to trial in January.

Shannon Pearce is scheduled for a jury trial on Jan. 9 and 10, The Argus Observer newspaper reported. The horses were found dead in a Payette County pasture in mid-July, and police say the water trough in the pasture was dry.

Pearce, who lives in New Plymouth, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

High temperatures during the days before the horses were found dead ranged from 90 to 102, in nearby Ontario, Ore., according to the National Weather Service.

In an interview with the Statesman in July, Payette Police Chief Mark Clark said Pearce told investigators that he left a hose running in a 1,000-gallon trough for the horses, and that someone else had apparently shut it off. Clark said they found evidence that an irrigation company workers had shut it off but added that he believed Pearce had been negligent in not checking on the horses.

Animal abuse is generally a misdemeanor in Idaho with a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and one year in jail.

The trial is set to begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 9 before Judge Robert L. Jackson at the Payette County Courthouse. A status conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 27.

This story was originally published September 18, 2018 at 9:30 PM.