Brevard County woman arrested after stabbing, whipping horse in front of child, sheriff says
Woman accused of stabbing, whipping horse in front of child
A Brevard County woman is behind bars after allegedly stabbing and violently beating a horse in front of a child, according to Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A Brevard County woman is behind bars after allegedly stabbing and violently beating a horse in front of a child, according to Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Deputies with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office fugitive unit took Shirley Zimmerly into custody following an investigation by animal enforcement officers and animal cruelty investigators.
The backstory:
Authorities say the incident took place on July 27 at a local ranch. According to Sheriff Ivey, Zimmerly stabbed a horse multiple times with a knife and beat it with a whip because she was frustrated over the animal's behavior.
The entire attack occurred in front of a young child who was at the ranch to receive therapy. Distressed by what took place, the child went home and told their parents, who then reported the incident to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
When investigators arrived at the property, they discovered the horse was not only injured from the stabbing and whipping, but was also severely malnourished - scoring a three out of nine on the body condition scale.
During the investigation, deputies discovered other horses on the property suffering from open sores. When animal cruelty investigators questioned Zimmerly about the horse's injuries, she claimed a cat was responsible for the wounds.
What they're saying:
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey released a statement detailing the investigation and condemning the alleged abuse, saying, "She stabbed a freaking horse with a knife, then took and started whipping the horse because she was frustrated over the horse's behavior. Are you kidding me? Well guess what? When our team got here, they not only found that the horse had been stabbed multiple times, they found that the horse was a three out of nine on the body scale, three out of nine. So, here it was, malnourished, and still got stabbed on top of it, and then violently beat with a whip, because she was frustrated, and all of this occurred in front of a child."
Responding to Zimmerly's claims regarding how the injuries occurred, Sheriff Ivey added, "No, a cat didn't do that, all right? Somebody that lost control of themselves, lost control of their emotion, stabbed the horse multiple times, and now that somebody's going to jail."
Sheriff Ivey emphasized that cruelty of this nature will not be tolerated, stating, "Folks, this is not only unacceptable, it's insane. Who does that? Who stabs a horse? Well, I can tell you what, whoever does it, goes to jail in Brevard County."
What's next:
A judge issued a warrant for Zimmerly's arrest, charging her with one count of felony animal cruelty and two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Regarding the other horses found on the property with open sores, authorities wrote Zimmerly several citations and issued a mandate requiring her to hire a veterinarian to assess and treat the health and well-being of all her animals.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office