Gwenyth Ellen Davies, 55, of Creswell, who pleaded guilty in 2020 to animal neglect after 61 malnourished horses were seized from her custody, was arrested in California and extradited to Oregon for violating her probation.
After Davies was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay over $49,000 in restitution to both the Oregon Humane Society and Sound Equine Options, she “disappeared,” according to Lane County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tim Wallace.
As a result, the Lane County Circuit Court issued an extraditable warrant for her arrest in 2023. A deputy determined Davies was likely in California and notified law enforcement in the area she might be there, Wallace said.
In January, Davies was arrested on a warrant by the Los Angeles Police Department as she re-entered the U.S. at a port of entry in the Los Angeles area. Extradition to Oregon was approved by Gov. Tina Kotek’s office.
Wallace said Davies was lodged at the Lane County Jail on Feb. 12 pending ongoing court proceedings.
61 horses removed, four horse carcasses discovered in 2019
In October 2019, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office went to the former DeLeonardo Training Center on Camas Swale Road in Creswell and seized 61 horses deemed severely neglected after an assessment by a licensed veterinarian. Lane County Animal Services and several community organizations assisted.
Many of the horses were returned to their owners; however, three horses seized from the property did not survive, the sheriff’s office said at the time.
“I observed emaciated horses littering the property. The barn reeked of ammonia,” a sheriff’s office deputy wrote in a probable cause statement. “Stalls appeared to be chewed on. Low body scores, indicative of malnutrition, were observed throughout the property.”
Additionally, four horse carcasses were observed on the property, three in extremely shallow graves and one lying on top of the ground, partially covered by a tarp, the probable cause statement said.
According to its website at the time, the DeLeonardo Training Center offered boarding, training, lessons, and camps. A stall to board a horse was advertised at $450 per month, including twice-daily feedings of grass and alfalfa mix hay, and daily cleaning.
Davies, who resided at the property with her husband, Michael DeLeonardo, had previous contact with Animal Services regarding horses in poor condition in 2018, the county said when the horses were seized. As a result of those contacts, she complied willingly and the horses of concern were brought to minimum care standards. An additional report of neglect was made in September 2019; however, information to support further investigation was not provided.
The last investigation into animal neglect began when Lane County Animal Services received photographs on Oct. 16, 2019, of horses that appeared to be severely neglected. The photographs were provided by Emerald Valley Equine Rescue which had received multiple complaints from people who used to board their horses with Davies.
In 2020, Davies was sentenced to five years of bench probation after pleading guilty to 11 counts of second-degree animal neglect, all misdemeanors.
Through her plea deal, Davies was allowed to own four horses. She could no longer board other people’s horses, and she was required to send unaltered photos of the horses in her possession to Lane County Animal Services and the Oregon Humane Society on a monthly basis.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Creswell woman in 61-horse neglect case arrested in California
Reporting by Haleigh Kochanski, Eugene Register-Guard / Register-Guard
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