A Central Florida man was arrested for starving and abusing horses.
Polk County Agriculture Crimes Unit detectives arrested 63-year-old Carl Edward Olinger, of north Lakeland, this month after they responded to his property and discovered multiple malnourished horses. Olinger was the custodian of six horses in his pasture.
Upon inspection of the pasture, all six horses were discovered to be malnourished, with ribs and shoulder bones clearly visible. The horses had no access to food or water in the pasture. The pasture was primarily dirt, with almost no edible vegetation for the horses.
One of the six horses was lying in the pasture, emaciated, immobile, and clearly in pain or discomfort. A licensed veterinarian was quickly summoned and dispatched to the location. The horse was determined to have been lying down and unable to stand for at least a day. According to police authorities, the horse died of neglect and cruelty after nearly three hours of veterinary attention and attempts to help her stand. This was ruled to be cruel conduct by Olinger, as it caused the horse unnecessary pain, suffering, and, ultimately, death.
Olinger informed deputies that he hadn’t fed the horses in two weeks. He was aware that all of the horses were malnourished and underweight but did nothing to address the issue. He confirmed that the horses were in his care and custody, and he was responsible for their well-being.
“This was absolutely, unequivocally a horrible scene–these horses were severely malnourished,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “This was so sad to see, and so avoidable—they were in terrible shape because of this man.”
According to local authorities, Olinger was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, five charges of animal cruelty, and animal abandonment after starving and abusing horses in Central Florida.
The remaining adult horses were confiscated and taken to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s large animal facility for additional evaluation and treatment. One foal was taken into custody and cared for at Hope Equine Rescue in Winter Haven.
