WOLF POINT- Richard Dean Holen has been charged in connection with the deaths of more than a dozen horses found in August along U.S. Highway 13 in Roosevelt County.
Holen is charged with one felony count of aggravated animal cruelty, and five misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
According to court documents, a veterinarian that inspected the carcasses said: “The horses all appeared to be in various states of decay indicating mortality has been occurring over a period of time. The foals appeared to have died first and were in advance state of decay being mostly skeletal remains with few maggots and pupa. Given the life cycle of maggots, death may have occurred ranging from 5 to 20 days.”
The veterinarian went on to state that “evidence suggests dehydration to be the leading cause of death.”
Holen is scheduled to appear in District Court on Nov. 14, according to a Facebook postfrom Fort Peck Tribal Councilman Jestin Dupree.
Click here to read the charging documents (PDF).
Story by David Sherman, MTN News
Related: Investigation continues into the deaths of horses in Roosevelt County
Related: More than a dozen horses found dead on Fort Peck reservation north of Wolf Point
