C-Falls man charged with horse cruelty

A 64-year-old Columbia Falls man faces two charges of cruelty to animals, one misdemeanor and one felony, after two horses in his care were taken away from him last December.

Kent Petry had faced the same charges after the horses were discovered in a corral containing horse feces one foot deep on Dec. 22, 2012, but he was given a deferred prosecution agreement. Petry violated the terms of the agreement about three months later and the charges were refiled.

According to court documents, a warden from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office found one of the two horses down but trying to get back up. A veterinarian who came to the site recommended immediate transport and care.

The downed horse drank 7 1/2 gallons of water before being transported and 5 gallons more later. It had trouble standing because of an injury to a hind leg. Veterinarian costs for the two horses in the first three weeks ran to $4,000, and Flathead County District Court Judge David Ortley ordered downed horse euthanized on Jan. 25.

Petry pleaded not guilty to the two charges on July 11. He faces up to three years with the Department of Corrections, a fine up to $3,500, payments on veterinarian bills as well as ongoing costs for the remaining horse, and possible restrictions on whether he can own animals. His omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 18.