Lilburn Man Charged After Police Find Malnourished Horses

A Lilburn man has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty after authorities found three malnourished horses in his possession.

According to the Gwinnett County Police report, the horses were being held at a location off the 500 block of Sweetgum Road in Lawrenceville. A police officer, animal control, and an inspector and veterinarian were called down after a local reportedly saw a horse on the ground that looked to be in poor health.

They saw the horse, which was "severely malnourished and in obvious pain," according to the report. The two other horses on the property also were malnourished but mobile.

The supervisor told police that it appeared that the horses had not been fed in several weeks. The vet performed humane euthanasia on the immobile horse, while the other two horses were taken into animal control.

The department inspector informed police that she had been to the address before and has tried to contact the owner several times. She left notices about the care and treatment of the horses but never heard back.

The owner and suspect, Andres Ramirez, told police at the scene that he was in Mexico for the last two months. He said his nephew was supposed to take care of the horses while he was gone. Police attempted to call the nephew but never heard from him.

Ramirez told police he left 10 bails of hay for the horses, but according to the inspector, one horse averages one bail of hay a day. Therefore, Ramirez essentially left enough food for about three days.

He told officers that, regardless of his nephew, he is the owner of the horses and they are his responsibility, so the situation was his fault. Warrants for three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty were obtained, and Ramirez was arrested.

Inside the Police Reports runs regularly every week. The information is based solely on police incident reports provided on request. It does not indicate a conviction.