BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida woman is accused of stabbing a horse multiple times and whipping it in front of a child at a ranch where the child was receiving therapy.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey says Shirley Zimmerly was taken into custody by the agency’s fugitive unit on a warrant charging her with one count of felony animal cruelty and two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
The incident happened July 27, according to Ivey.
Investigators said Zimmerly became frustrated with the horse’s behavior, grabbed a knife and stabbed the animal multiple times before beating it with a whip.
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The abuse happened in front of a child who was at the ranch for therapy, Ivey said. The child was so distressed by what they witnessed that they went home and told their parents, who contacted the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Animal enforcement deputies and cruelty investigators then launched an investigation.
When investigators examined the horse, they found it had been stabbed multiple times and was severely underweight, according to Ivey. The horse scored a 3 out of 9 on a body condition scale, the sheriff said.
Investigators also found other horses on the property with open sores. Zimmerly was issued several citations and ordered to obtain veterinary care for the animals, Ivey said.
When questioned about the injuries to the horse, investigators said Zimmerly claimed a cat had caused them.
Ivey rejected that explanation.
She stabbed a freaking horse with a knife.”
A judge issued a warrant for Zimmerly’s arrest with a $10,000 bond, according to records. Zimmerly was subsequently booked into the Brevard County Jail on the animal cruelty charges.