JG-TC.com > News > Owner of horse farm faces criminal charges

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SPECIAL SECTION

ONLINE POLL

ONLINE EXTRAS

Shop Smart, Shop Local

SITE TOOLS

OTHER LINKS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Monday, October 8, 2007 12:17 AM CDT
Owner of horse farm faces criminal charges

By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com

CHARLESTON — Multiple counts of criminal charges have been filed against Ernest C. Rose, the owner of the farm where several horses were found dead and all were removed because of alleged neglect.

Charges on file against Rose so far are several misdemeanor counts of improper disposal of animals and violation of owner’s duties. State’s Attorney Steve Ferguson said additional charges are likely.

Rose is the owner of the farm at 1050 W. Coolidge Ave., Charleston, where Coles County sheriff’s deputies and animal shelter officials first visited on Aug. 1 and reportedly found some horses dead and numerous others in a state of neglect.

On Sept. 12, authorities removed the remaining horses at the farm, about 60 in all, after they said Rose didn’t start caring for them properly as he indicated he would.

The charges were filed late Friday, and Ferguson said he didn’t know yet when Rose might appear in court.

Attempts to contact Rose, who apparently doesn’t live at the farm, and his attorney, Michael Tague of Champaign, weren’t successful. In an earlier interview, Tague denied the horses were neglected, but said he wanted to have the details of Rose’s side of the story come out in court.

Ferguson said his office looked to see whether any felony charges might have been appropriate to the case, but didn’t find any that applied.

He also explained that, before filing charges, he wanted reports on each horse found at the farm so he could “identify a particular horse with a particular situation.” Earlier reports described the overall conditions at the farm without giving specifics about each individual horse, he said.

Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 348-5733.

Add your comments

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login? (requires cookies)
	Forgot Your Password?

Not already registered?
Then click Here.

Comment policy:

JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.

In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.

We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

No comment may contain:

* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.

If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.

Interested Observer wrote on Oct 7, 2007 8:25 PM:

" I commend Mr. Ferguson for taking a sane, orderly approach to this case, rather than rushing in willy-nilly to quieten the screaming mob. Given the nature of the case, the number of animals involved, etc., this matter is complex. Finally, I would not be in the least surprised to see additional charges filed against Dr. Rose and possibly others, as the evidence warrants. "

Early Bird wrote on Oct 8, 2007 5:39 AM:

" Amen, Interested Observer. It will be interesting to see if that same mob tries to lynch Mr Ferguson, if the suspect doesn't get 50 years or so in jail. I'm sure no punishment will suit them, as it was noted by Ferguson, that it appears there are no felony charges applicable in this case. But I really doubt if that matters to all the jail house type lawyers who use this site to vent their opinions. Hopefully, Rose will get the maximum penalty and appropriate fines, by will that satisfy the "Mob"? "

tammer65 wrote on Oct 8, 2007 7:03 AM:

" How could such a horrific case of the abuse of so many animals only merit misdemeanor charges? If Ferguson is correct and there really are no felony charges that apply, then everyone who is outraged by this situation needs to contact Sen. Righter and Rep. Rose to ask for changes in Illinois law. The immense suffering of all of these horses is unfathomable. For the owner to walk away with just misdemeanor charges -- a slap on the wrist at best -- is unimaginable! "

61938 wrote on Oct 8, 2007 7:19 AM:

" So our states attorney has finally done his job. I'm just surprised that the headline didn't read: "Owner of horse farm faces criminal charges, Ferguson now ready and willing to make a plea deal so he can get some rest". "

das wrote on Oct 8, 2007 8:38 AM:

" Thank you! Now send him to jail! He doesn't deserve to live in "the real world" anymore. "

ItsJustDave wrote on Oct 8, 2007 9:26 AM:

" I, too, am surprised that there are no felony charges that apply. If that is the case, I hope that Dr. Rose is not offered a plea bargain. If he has a defense, let him present it in a courtroom, and let the Judge or jury decide. If the stste's case doesn't hold up and Dr. Rose is acquitted, so be it - at least they can say they tried to enforce the laws. He has been uncooperative, and his actions, or lack thereof, deserve harsh punishment if he is found guilty. "

The Question wrote on Oct 8, 2007 10:28 AM:

" If this Rose is a doctor, why isn't his title used in this article? Why is the newspaper downplaying the information about his profession and identity? "

equestria wrote on Oct 8, 2007 8:46 PM:

" I am glad to see that the State's Attorney has finally filed charges. I don't expect Rose to get the maximum penalty (much as I would like to see him get it), as plea bargains are all about saving the court's time and money, However, I think he should be made to pay for all the expenses incurred regarding these horses until they are placed in permanant homes. And, I truly hope the court doesn't let him have them back since there has been a previous complaint; even though charges were never filed, the investigation is still on record with HAHS. "

horseshaverights wrote on Oct 8, 2007 9:48 PM:

" I'm helping as much as I can to take care of some of the horses. I saw first hand the conditions these horses were in and they are much better off now. I hope they are not returned to Dr. Rose. I wish the charges could be worse than they are, but the justice system can only do so much. I see first hand the additional expense of taking care of these extra horses has added up to be and I hope that he has to at least pay fines and the cost that the people have paided out to house them. Thank you all that have helped out. "

TigerRose wrote on Oct 9, 2007 11:00 AM:

" The reasons that there are only misdemeanor charges should be evident to tammer65; This is a case about some simple dumb animals, common beasts of burden. Animals that could be used as simple sausage filler, or potential leather products = not an endangered or even threatened species. No human being has evidently been even allegedly harmed in any way. There are many more reasons, but they are to numerous to list for the clueless. While this is a tragic case, There is no reason to attempt to re-write the laws for a minority of a mere few who wish to make mountains out of molehills. "

medic57 wrote on Oct 9, 2007 8:49 PM:

" I see Mr. Rose sued the Humane Society for removing his dead and malnourished and injured horses without due process. --- Only in America! "

Midnight Writer wrote on Oct 10, 2007 1:06 AM:

" TigerRose: I suspect you don't have any pets/animals and understand the bond between man and animals.They feel pain and suffering just like you and I. Being cruel is much different than slaughtering a animal for food. I think it is you that is clueless ! "

gringa wrote on Oct 10, 2007 8:00 AM:

" TigerRose, Dr. Rose? Any relation? "

HisChild wrote on Oct 10, 2007 4:11 PM:

" TigerRose...That is absolutely SICK! "

Chad(USAF) wrote on Oct 10, 2007 8:32 PM:

" Illinois has felony cruelty to animals laws, I guess they just didn't think they fit this particular case...for some reason. http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_laws.php "

Interested Observer wrote on Oct 11, 2007 5:51 AM:

" It's so predictable: The same folks who wanted charges filed immediatelt would have criticized Mr. Ferguson for 'doing sloppy work', or something, if and likely when some or all of those charges were dismissed. Now that he has taken the time to research the law, gather evidence and reports, etc., and filed the charges he believes he can obtain convictions on, people are whining that he 'dragged his feet', etc. . Some people in Coles County would complain if they were hung with a new rope, as they say back home! "

tammer65 wrote on Oct 11, 2007 10:02 AM:

" Starving one animal to death -- let alone fourteen -- and allowing another to sink so deeply in mud that heavy equipment had to be brought in is far different than slaughtering animals for food, leather, etc. (and our state has closed its last horse slaughtering plant, for that matter). These animals were kept in unspeakable conditions -- no food and water, not even a blade of grass growing anywhere, stalls that were not cleaned out for weeks or perhaps months, horses whose hooves went untended, etc., etc. Animals being sent to market are not treated like this. This would be an outrageous situation if only 1 or 2 animals were treated this way, but nearly 100????? It is you who are "Clueless," TigerRose. God commanded us to be stewards of the animals, not to treat them cruelly. "

horseshaverights wrote on Oct 11, 2007 4:21 PM:

" AMEN!!! tammer65. TigerRose, everybody has the right to speak thier mind even if it is a shallow one. Some people think of horses as thier pets not just a beasts of burden. They have personalities all thier own. You should spend more time with some to learn more about them. Do you make sausage with your dogs or cats? "

ItsJustDave wrote on Oct 11, 2007 7:03 PM:

" Misdemeanors can result in jail time, and multiple counts can cause these terms to run consecutively. Misdemeanors - Class A: jail up to 364 days or fine of $1 to $2,500 or both; Class B jail up to 6 months or fine of $1 to $1,500 or both; Class C jail up to 30 days or fine of $1 to $1,500 or both. 60 horses, this could be serious if the State had any guts or compassion. Of course, they'll wuss out and give a small fine, some probation ( meaning absolutely nothing) and keeping him from owning or abusing horses for a few weeks. "

TigerRose wrote on Oct 12, 2007 5:02 AM:

" Midnight Writer; you suspect wrong. gringa; Nope, No Relation. HisChild; I agree, it is absolutely sick that those horses died of neglect. Interested Oserver; Anyone with a lick of sense would complain if they were to be hung with a new rope! New rope won't fray and break like old rope will. DUH! tammer65; I'm hardly clueless. I know enough not to fight authority of the laws the way they are now written, which includes those for not mistreating animals. horseshaverights; Certainly not. I grind pork &/or beef, unless the preferred beefalo or venison are available for such. ItsJustDave; I tend to concur with you. They will probably make light of the sentencing, just to get it over with & on to the next cases. "

chucktown100 wrote on Oct 12, 2007 7:39 PM:

" I would recommend watching a few episodes of Animal Precinct or Animal Cops Houston on Animal Planet. It gives a good perspective on how abusers of animals are treated in other states. "