Man convicted of neglecting horses (PHOTOS)

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS — A Walton County man has been convicted of four counts of confinement of animals without sufficient food and water.

Alto McDonald faces a fine of $5,000 and up to one year in jail for each count of an animal abuse, according to a news release from the state attorney’s office.

McDonald was arrested April 29. A jury found him guilty Tuesday.

He had one horse in his care die and three others that were severely malnourished, the news release said.

According to Greg Anchors with the state attorney’s office, the horses — Red, who died during the investigation, Pepsi, Joe and Sara — were in similar condition to a recent case involving another malnourished horse named Champ.

“They weren’t quite as bad as Champ, but you could see their bones,” Anchors said. “They were all fairly decimated.”

Laurie Hood with the Alaqua Animal Refuge said in court that the horses were severely neglected. According to the news release, the animals had no diseases or infections; their condition was a result of the lack of food.

Alaqua Animal Refuge has kept the surviving horses for the last few months and stabilized their health with proper feeding, the news release said.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Walton County Animal Control and the Florida Department of Agriculture’s law enforcement division investigated the case.

McDonald is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 20.