Judge Dismisses California Woman’s Animal Cruelty Case
Cynthia Jean Hamilton was charged after allegedly starving 17 horses last year; case dismissed following a recent surrender of the livestock to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office in a bill of sale
By Maggie Dresser
A Flathead County District Court judge dismissed the case of a California woman charged with aggravated animal cruelty for starving 17 horses in the region last year after an agreement was reached where she relinquished her ownership of the livestock.
Cynthia Jean Hamilton, 69, on June 30 signed a bill of sale “relinquishing her ownership in the horses to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office,” prompting prosecutors to file a motion to dismiss the case on July 1.
Judge Robert B. Allison dismissed the case the same day, vacating a trial that was originally scheduled to begin July 11.
According to court documents, Flathead County Animal Control wardens responded to an animal cruelty complaint involving multiple horses at a residence in the Columbia Falls area where they found five inadequately fed horses last September. Investigators learned that Hamilton was the owner of the horses.
During the investigation, Hamilton told law enforcement that she could not afford to feed the animals and directed deputies to 12 more of her horses, half of which were malnourished, records state.
Sheriff’s office detectives were granted a search warrant in September and seized all 17 horses and brought them to Flathead County Animal Control.
According to charging documents, a veterinarian conducted physical exams on 10 horses upon seizure, concluding they all had parasites and below-average body scores, which required “a strong course of treatment.”