Post by gypsygirl on Jan 26, 2006 23:25:26 GMT -5
Hi all, I thought I would post this email I recieved about how people being educated on the laws and having a cell phone is a must on the roads now. A small victory!
Equine Protection Network
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com
January 26, 2005
Current Save Americas Horses Billboard - Brooksville, FL, Rte 41.
Three Hills Rodeo Drivers Pay $5000.00 in Fines
FDA Warning Letters Horsemeat Violation
Remember to Shop At IGive.com & Help Support the EPN!
Over 600 Stores
Remember to support the EPN.
We need $300.00 a year to sustain the EPN website a resource for
thousands of people & school students who use our website
information and photos for their school reports.
Visit us at Booth 819 at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg Feb
24th -26th.
******************************************
Three Hills Rodeo Drivers Convicted - $5000.00 Fines
Lafayette Hills, PA – District Justice Deborah Lukens imposed fines
and court costs of $5000.00 against Three Hills Rodeo owner David
Morehead, 50, and employee Matthew Delarm, 26, both of Bernard, Iowa
who pled guilty in Lafayette Hills District Court this week to 36
counts of horse cruelty in the Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law case
involving 36 horses that were being transported in two separate
double deck cattle trailers from the Liberty Pro Rodeo in Plymouth
Meeting, Pennsylvania on Sunday September 18, 2005. Both men were
the drivers of the Three Hill Rodeo double deck trailers carrying
the 36 horses.
Whitemarsh Police Department, WPD, made the arrests under
Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law, Title 18, 5511(e.1) passed in July
2001. The first double deck cattle trailer had 17 horses and an
undetermined number of bulls and the second double deck trailer had
a total of 19 horses on with four horses in the nose deck, eleven on
the top deck, and four more horses in the rear of the trailer, known
as the `doghouse'. The bulls were on the bottom deck of the trailer.
Whitemarsh Police Department made the arrests after receiving
information from the Pennsylvania State Police that two double deck
trailers owned by Three Hills Rodeo, Bernard, Iowa were transporting
horses on double deck trailers in violation of the Pennsylvania
Horse Transport Law. When Whitemarsh Police pulled the two trailers
over and informed Three Hills of the violations. Morehead
stated, "He had never heard of such a thing". The rodeo promoter
incorrectly stated that the Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law only
applies to slaughter horses "who are crouched down" in double deck
trailers, and "not these horses" gesturing at the rodeo horses on
the top deck of the double deck trailer.
Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Aliena Gerhard
stated, "The law is clear. The prohibitions are clear. Subsection
e1 of the animal cruelty law (found at 18 Pa.C.S.A. 5511) otherwise
known as the "double decker" law, is one of Pennsylvania's strongest
criminal laws. Its language is definitive. Further, the statute
ensures that violators are charged for each and every equine animal
they illegally transport." A second conviction under this section is
a misdemeanor which would result in a permanent criminal record for
anyone convicted of violating the PA Horse Transport Law a second
time. Gerhard stated, "The escalating penalty for a subsequent
violation means violators face up to one year in prison for each
count charged. People do not get to choose which laws should apply
to them. Violators caught in Pennsylvania will be prosecuted and may
go to prison."
The fine is the highest dollar amount ever imposed since the
Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law went into effect in August 2001.The
fine is the second highest dollar amount in the history of double
deck laws in New York and Pennsylvania, the highest fine of $11,100
imposed by Essex County, NY Judge Strothenke in 1994 against David
Carper a driver for his father Frank Carper a New Jersey horse
dealer who deals in slaughter horses.
The Equine Protection Network's Christine Berry is elated at the
outcome. "Whitemarsh Police Department and Lieutenant Bowers did an
excellent job enforcing the law. Everybody involved did their part;
the citizen who witnessed the trucks and made the call, the
Pennsylvania State Police investigation, ADA Gerhard's efforts and
Judge Lukens sentencing. The guilty plea in this case proves that
Pennsylvania law can be enforced by law enforcement personnel that
have no training or familiarity with horses, no horse industry
experts are needed, law enforcement does not need to take the
horses, and the law applies to all horses no matter what their final
destination. For five years the Equine Protection Network refused to
compromise on the language of this bill banning double deck trailers
to transport any horse no matter what its final destination. The
outcome in this case proves that the Equine Protection Network was
justified in standing our ground for specific language that police
and prosecutors could take to court and win convictions.
Citizens Needed
The arrest and conviction of the Three Hills Rodeo drivers never
would have happened if it were not for an alert motorist who knew
that the double deck trailers were illegal in Pennsylvania. The
Equine Protection Network, EPN, received a call from an alert horse
owner who knowing that double deck trailers were illegal in
Pennsylvania to transport horses did exactly what we are asking
people to do. She looked inside the double deck trailers that were
headed eastbound on the PA Turnpike. "This citizen knew to obtain
the license plate and the name on the trucks. Without her
information this violation would have gone unpunished", stated
Christine Berry of the EPN. The EPN was able to determine who owned
the double deck trailers and their likely destination. The EPN
provided the information to the PA State Police whose investigation
led to the Liberty Pro Rodeo being held in Plymouth Meeting.
The Equine Protection Network is urging people to become familiar
with the various Horse Transport Laws and then keep their eyes open
for double deck trailers in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts
and Vermont. All four states strictly prohibit the use of double
deck trailers to transport horses, no matter what their final
destination. Remember that police depend on complaints by citizens;
the public has eyes more places than the police. Be on the lookout
for doubles transporting horses in the vicinity of low end horse
auctions, low end horse dealers, and rodeos. It is vital that you
obtain a license plate or the name on the truck for police to be
able to locate and identify the truck. If you see a double deck
trailer look inside for horses' ears and tails. CALL 911 to report
the violation, humane agents and animal welfare organizations can
NOT make traffic stops, the police must be called. Police are on
duty 24/7. If possible take a picture of the truck and trailer.
The Equine Protection Network is urging people to visit our website,
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com and download free postcard size
Horse Transport Law Cards for Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont.
All three states have Horse Transport Laws that prohibit the use of
double deck trailers to transport any horse, no matter what its
final destination. Pennsylvania Horse Transport Cards are also
available on the Large Animal Protection Society's website,
www.largeanimalprotectionsociety.org and at various events where
LAPS has a table. The Equine Protection Network will have cards
available at Booth 819 at Horse World Expo in Harrisburg February 24-
26th.
Gerhard sums it up best,
"The Commonwealth does not tolerate violations of the animal cruelty
law in Pennsylvania, and the police did an excellent job in
enforcing this law."
********************************
Shop At IGive.com or at Back In the Saddle & Support the EPN!
Advocacy Efforts are Not Free!
*******************************
Horsemeat Violation Warning Letters
Read the Horsemeat Violation Warning Letters on our website in the
Legislation Section under FSIS.
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/legislation/fsis.htm
Remember to write your Congressman & Senators regarding the HB503 &
the Senate version of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
Let them also know that you want the Will of the American People
upheld! Do not allow the USDA to circumvent the amendment to stop
the slaughter of America's horses! The petition by the
slaughterhouses & pro slaughter forces must be stopped.
Equine Protection Network
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com
January 26, 2005
Current Save Americas Horses Billboard - Brooksville, FL, Rte 41.
Three Hills Rodeo Drivers Pay $5000.00 in Fines
FDA Warning Letters Horsemeat Violation
Remember to Shop At IGive.com & Help Support the EPN!
Over 600 Stores
Remember to support the EPN.
We need $300.00 a year to sustain the EPN website a resource for
thousands of people & school students who use our website
information and photos for their school reports.
Visit us at Booth 819 at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg Feb
24th -26th.
******************************************
Three Hills Rodeo Drivers Convicted - $5000.00 Fines
Lafayette Hills, PA – District Justice Deborah Lukens imposed fines
and court costs of $5000.00 against Three Hills Rodeo owner David
Morehead, 50, and employee Matthew Delarm, 26, both of Bernard, Iowa
who pled guilty in Lafayette Hills District Court this week to 36
counts of horse cruelty in the Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law case
involving 36 horses that were being transported in two separate
double deck cattle trailers from the Liberty Pro Rodeo in Plymouth
Meeting, Pennsylvania on Sunday September 18, 2005. Both men were
the drivers of the Three Hill Rodeo double deck trailers carrying
the 36 horses.
Whitemarsh Police Department, WPD, made the arrests under
Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law, Title 18, 5511(e.1) passed in July
2001. The first double deck cattle trailer had 17 horses and an
undetermined number of bulls and the second double deck trailer had
a total of 19 horses on with four horses in the nose deck, eleven on
the top deck, and four more horses in the rear of the trailer, known
as the `doghouse'. The bulls were on the bottom deck of the trailer.
Whitemarsh Police Department made the arrests after receiving
information from the Pennsylvania State Police that two double deck
trailers owned by Three Hills Rodeo, Bernard, Iowa were transporting
horses on double deck trailers in violation of the Pennsylvania
Horse Transport Law. When Whitemarsh Police pulled the two trailers
over and informed Three Hills of the violations. Morehead
stated, "He had never heard of such a thing". The rodeo promoter
incorrectly stated that the Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law only
applies to slaughter horses "who are crouched down" in double deck
trailers, and "not these horses" gesturing at the rodeo horses on
the top deck of the double deck trailer.
Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Aliena Gerhard
stated, "The law is clear. The prohibitions are clear. Subsection
e1 of the animal cruelty law (found at 18 Pa.C.S.A. 5511) otherwise
known as the "double decker" law, is one of Pennsylvania's strongest
criminal laws. Its language is definitive. Further, the statute
ensures that violators are charged for each and every equine animal
they illegally transport." A second conviction under this section is
a misdemeanor which would result in a permanent criminal record for
anyone convicted of violating the PA Horse Transport Law a second
time. Gerhard stated, "The escalating penalty for a subsequent
violation means violators face up to one year in prison for each
count charged. People do not get to choose which laws should apply
to them. Violators caught in Pennsylvania will be prosecuted and may
go to prison."
The fine is the highest dollar amount ever imposed since the
Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law went into effect in August 2001.The
fine is the second highest dollar amount in the history of double
deck laws in New York and Pennsylvania, the highest fine of $11,100
imposed by Essex County, NY Judge Strothenke in 1994 against David
Carper a driver for his father Frank Carper a New Jersey horse
dealer who deals in slaughter horses.
The Equine Protection Network's Christine Berry is elated at the
outcome. "Whitemarsh Police Department and Lieutenant Bowers did an
excellent job enforcing the law. Everybody involved did their part;
the citizen who witnessed the trucks and made the call, the
Pennsylvania State Police investigation, ADA Gerhard's efforts and
Judge Lukens sentencing. The guilty plea in this case proves that
Pennsylvania law can be enforced by law enforcement personnel that
have no training or familiarity with horses, no horse industry
experts are needed, law enforcement does not need to take the
horses, and the law applies to all horses no matter what their final
destination. For five years the Equine Protection Network refused to
compromise on the language of this bill banning double deck trailers
to transport any horse no matter what its final destination. The
outcome in this case proves that the Equine Protection Network was
justified in standing our ground for specific language that police
and prosecutors could take to court and win convictions.
Citizens Needed
The arrest and conviction of the Three Hills Rodeo drivers never
would have happened if it were not for an alert motorist who knew
that the double deck trailers were illegal in Pennsylvania. The
Equine Protection Network, EPN, received a call from an alert horse
owner who knowing that double deck trailers were illegal in
Pennsylvania to transport horses did exactly what we are asking
people to do. She looked inside the double deck trailers that were
headed eastbound on the PA Turnpike. "This citizen knew to obtain
the license plate and the name on the trucks. Without her
information this violation would have gone unpunished", stated
Christine Berry of the EPN. The EPN was able to determine who owned
the double deck trailers and their likely destination. The EPN
provided the information to the PA State Police whose investigation
led to the Liberty Pro Rodeo being held in Plymouth Meeting.
The Equine Protection Network is urging people to become familiar
with the various Horse Transport Laws and then keep their eyes open
for double deck trailers in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts
and Vermont. All four states strictly prohibit the use of double
deck trailers to transport horses, no matter what their final
destination. Remember that police depend on complaints by citizens;
the public has eyes more places than the police. Be on the lookout
for doubles transporting horses in the vicinity of low end horse
auctions, low end horse dealers, and rodeos. It is vital that you
obtain a license plate or the name on the truck for police to be
able to locate and identify the truck. If you see a double deck
trailer look inside for horses' ears and tails. CALL 911 to report
the violation, humane agents and animal welfare organizations can
NOT make traffic stops, the police must be called. Police are on
duty 24/7. If possible take a picture of the truck and trailer.
The Equine Protection Network is urging people to visit our website,
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com and download free postcard size
Horse Transport Law Cards for Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont.
All three states have Horse Transport Laws that prohibit the use of
double deck trailers to transport any horse, no matter what its
final destination. Pennsylvania Horse Transport Cards are also
available on the Large Animal Protection Society's website,
www.largeanimalprotectionsociety.org and at various events where
LAPS has a table. The Equine Protection Network will have cards
available at Booth 819 at Horse World Expo in Harrisburg February 24-
26th.
Gerhard sums it up best,
"The Commonwealth does not tolerate violations of the animal cruelty
law in Pennsylvania, and the police did an excellent job in
enforcing this law."
********************************
Shop At IGive.com or at Back In the Saddle & Support the EPN!
Advocacy Efforts are Not Free!
*******************************
Horsemeat Violation Warning Letters
Read the Horsemeat Violation Warning Letters on our website in the
Legislation Section under FSIS.
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/legislation/fsis.htm
Remember to write your Congressman & Senators regarding the HB503 &
the Senate version of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
Let them also know that you want the Will of the American People
upheld! Do not allow the USDA to circumvent the amendment to stop
the slaughter of America's horses! The petition by the
slaughterhouses & pro slaughter forces must be stopped.