The following is portion of an article from the Billings Gazette:
by Jan Falstad
After the longest trial in Yellowstone County Justice Court history, a jury found Billings livestock breeder James Leachman guilty on Tuesday evening of all five counts of abusing his horses.
On January 2011, the county attorney’s office charged Leachman with five misdemeanor criminal counts of animal neglect.
The six-person jury deliberated for three hours after a trial that lasted seven days, instead of the usual one or two days.
During closing arguments, Yellowstone County Deputy Chief Attorney Rod Souza said at least five of Leachman’s 800 horses pastured on a ranch east of Billings suffered from leg bands used for identification that were too tight or from other leg injuries that were never treated.
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Source: Billings Gazette
Posted by Haylie Shipp
