A North Carolina woman faces multiple animal cruelty counts connected to the alleged maltreatment of horses on her Sampson County property. On June 11, deputies from the Sampson County Sheriff's Department discovered 54 allegedly malnourished horses given to a property owner for care. Sergeant Jessica Kittrell, of the Sampson County Sheriff's Department Animal Control Division, said all the horses were allegedly malnourished, and had body condition scores of 3 and below. Some owners of the horses were allegedly paying the property owner for their animals' care, Kittrell said. The property owner subsequently surrendered 13 of the horses, Kittrell said. Those animals were placed under rehabilitative care. The remaining 41 horses remained at the property, and the Sampson County Sheriff's Department Animal Control Division monitored their conditions, Kittrell said. On July 15, Kittrell said Tammie Michelle Montiel had been charged with 18 courts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Montiel was unavailable for comment. The case remains pending.
