OCALA, Fla. (CBS12) — What was supposed to be a haven for horses turned into a scene of neglect and suffering for 69 horses in Florida.
On November 4, 2025, Marion County Sheriff’s Office Agriculture Detective Kraig McClaskey and Investigator Justin McClure responded to an anonymous tip about mistreated horses at 4250 NW 95th Avenue Road in Ocala, the site of Happy Valley Horse Rescue.
They met 57-year-old David Palacio and 58-year-old Janine Chaux, who claimed to run a horse rescue. What investigators found painted a very different picture.
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Upon touring the property, deputies say they found many horses visibly malnourished, their hooves in dire condition, and stalls long overdue for cleaning. Initially, 54 horses were observed.
Over the following two days, deputies executed a search warrant in which 69 horses were found — 17 at a neighboring property — all under Chaux’s care.
A veterinarian rated twenty horses at a critically low body condition of 1 or 2, sixteen at 3, and determined that two horses required humane euthanasia, per MCSO.
“These were supposed to be rescue horses, but instead, they were starving, suffering, and neglected. This breaks hearts in horse country, and it makes all of us angry,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said. “We will continue to pursue animal abusers and bring them to justice.”
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Palacio and Chaux were arrested Monday on 22 counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty and 16 counts of Animal Cruelty and are being held at Marion County Jail on $71,000 bond each.