Sheriff: Owner arrested in horse's death

Bacon County Sheriff's Office: Robert Trenchard Jr. cited for animal cruelty

BACON COUNTY, Ga. – A South Georgia man was arrested Thursday in connection with the death of his horse, the Bacon County Sheriff's Office said. 

Robert Trenchard Jr. is charged with two misdemeanors of methods of disposal of dead animals.  

He was also issued a citation for cruelty to animals, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Mark Cothren told News4Jax Friday that they want to formally charge Trenchard with animal cruelty, but that charge has not yet been approved by a magistrate judge.

RELATED: Horse dies after being tethered to tree

Residents of Alma, Georgia, said they believe the horse, which had been tethered to a tree for several days, died Wednesday because it got tangled in the rope.

Just days before the horse died, a person, who wished to remain anonymous, took video showing the animal tethered to a tree, getting tangled in the rope and nearly falling. That person also claimed that food and water were not within the horse's reach. 

One of the caretakers denied that the horse had ever been neglected, saying the horse had been sick and died of old age. 

A good Samaritan went to the property and buried the horse. A horse and a donkey that were also on the property were surrendered to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. 

According to Cothern, the Sheriff's Office continues to investigate how the horse died.