7-Day Trial Results in Animal Cruelty Convictions for Neglect of Horses

A press release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office:

JURY CONVICTS DES PLAINES WOMAN OF TWENTY-FOUR COUNTS OF ANIMAL CRUELTY AND NEGLECT

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that on May 24, 2011, Jamie Koy, 37, was convicted of eight counts of the Class A misdemeanor offense of Animal Cruelty and sixteen counts of the Class B misdemeanor offense of Neglection of Owner’s Duties following a seven day jury trial.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that in 2010 Koy was the owner of several horses that were not properly fed and suffered from malnutrition and starvation.

In August 2010, five horses were seized from Koy and were transferred to the custody of McHenry County Animal Control due to their life-threatening conditions.

The horses were rehabilitated by the Hooved Animal Humane Society (HAHS) of Woodstock and the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

Well cared for horses on Cherry Valley Road.

However, two of the horses could not be saved and were ultimately euthanized as a result of their emaciated conditions.

Testimony revealed that those two horses only had a bone marrow fat content of 2.7% and 5.1%. The normal bone marrow fat content in a healthy horse is 60-90%.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Matt Ciesielski and Andrew Luther.

Koy will be sentenced on July 21, 2011 and faces a possible maximum sentence of one year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.


Comments

7-Day Trial Results in Animal Cruelty Convictions for Neglect of Horses — 6 Comments

  1. I wonder what Jamie Koy’s excuse was for neglecting the horses.

    Maximum sentence does not seem great enough in this instance.

  2. UPDATE: Koy sentencing tentatively set for Thursday, October 27 at 1 p.m.

    The McHenry County State’s Attorney made his argument against a new trial for Jamie Koy, 37, who was convicted of eight counts of the Class A misdemeanor offense of Animal Cruelty and sixteen counts of the Class B misdemeanor offense of Neglection of Owner’s Duties following a seven day jury trial in May 2011.

    Ms. Koy’s attorney immediately filed a motion for a new trial. McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Matt Ciesielski made his argument against a new trial on October 6, and the presiding judge will announce whether a new trial will be granted this Thursday, October 27 at 1 p.m.

    Sentencing is also scheduled to occur the same day (Thursday, 10/27), at 1:30 p.m. at the McHenry County Courthouse.

  3. I would like to know what happened to Ms. Koy’s horses?

    How many did she get back? any more details/descriptions of the to horses that were put down?

    I believe she still may have had a horse I used to own at the time of her arrest, and am hoping he is well and not one that may have been euthanized.

    Any information regarding the horses would be great to know.

    Thank you.

  4. “Two of the horses were euthanized due to their emaciated condition, according to court documents.” –

    According to the necropsy results from Dr. Jacobs, of these two horses, after being in custody of the Hooved Animal Humane Society for over two weeks, one of them died of severe trauma after being cast (stuck up against the wall while laying down) in his stall for several hour, unattended and thrashed to the point he was so injured he could no longer stand and had to be euthanized.

    Dr. Jacobs also noted in her findings “that if a facility such as the Hooved Animal Humane Society is going to take in horses of such condition they should be able to properly handle a downed horse so things like this don’t ever happen again”

    The second horse was euthanized after 20 days in the states care after collapsing a second time at the University of Wis. due to abscess in both front feet and severe laminitis.

    Neither of which condition where diagnosed upon examination by Dr. Genge or Dr. McCombs the day the horses were seized or in the days that followed.

    The horse only developed these conditions after being in the care of the Hooved Animal Humane Society.

    Judge Weech allowed Ms. Koy to retain her horses, but the horses had already been returned to her Dec. 17, 2010, long before her trial had started and she was convicted.

    The reason the horses where returned was due to the false testimony of Dr. Lembke of Animal Control.

    During a hearing, Dr. Lembke testified that the horses were being held at a full service boarding facility where they were recieving 24 hour individualized medical care to assist in the recovery of their near death conditions. The horses were actually in the backyard of an Animal Control volunteer, on pasture board, with no blankets or shelter.

    The person providing the care had only ever rehabbed a duck.

    I think before you start pointing the finger and name calling, look into the case and read the facts.

    Ms. Koy was ordered to pay $4000 for the care of her horses while in the states care.

    The Animal Control volunteer caring for those horses recieved roughly over $2000 of that money.

    The University of Wis, Dr. Genge, Dr. McCombs and the Hooved Animal Humane Society were all denied any funds by Judge Weech.

    All of the hay, grain, and worming supplies were donated, yet Ms. Koy was billed for them.

    The other $2000 is still unaccounted for and every attempt to get Animal Control to account for the funds has been ignored.

    The horses where returned to Ms. Koy morbidly obese, severly injured and lame, their feet were rasped so short, to even walk on frozen ground, their souls would have been puncture and there was not even enough hoof left to attach a shoe to.

    They suffered from gas, bloating, and diarrhea which distended their abdomen, and after several days when the bloating subsided, the horses appeared to have lost weight while back in the care of Ms.Koy.

    One horse suffered a severe lower back injury and left front leg injury, from falling, while in the care of the Animal Control volunteer.

    This was documented in her own records which were subpeoned by Ms. Koys attorney.

    These injuries were never treated by a vet and the volunteer even admitted in her records, to watching the horse limp around her property with his leg swollen twice its normal size.

    While in Ms. Koys care, her vet placed the horse on two different meds and was on activity restriction for four months.

    The horse is now perminatly limited in his duties because of these injuries.

    In a society so quick to judge. take a moment to research before you slander someones name.

    The photos of the horses presented during trial could not even be possitivly identified as Ms. Koys horses.

    This story is a lot deeper then most people think.

  5. One of the 18 conditions to follow in order to have the horses returned was that the McHenry County was allowed to keep the $4000 put up on deposit for the horses care regardless of Ms. Koy winning or losing the case.

    These terms were reached outside of the court room between the states attorneys office, Ms. Koy and her attorneys.

    Since Dec of 2011, McHenry County Animal Control has been to property where Ms. Koy keeps her horses a total of 4 times.

    At one point, they hadn’t been to the property for 5 months and arrived the day before her sentencing.

    Judge Weech stated at sentencing he had no choice but to stay jail time because the horses had been in Ms. Koys care for close to a year and “not one person in the room could say she had done anything wrong”.

  6. Senshi,

    What do you have to say now that Jaime Koy has been arrested again(5/2013) for abuse and neglect to her horses.

    This time all horses have been seized and she has been arrested and charged with 4 felony counts of cruelty to animals.

    Once again she has starved her horses almost to death!!!!

    This time I hope she receives jail time!

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