Jesse Noriega the Latest Person Arrested in MCSO's Horse-Abuse Investigations

A Phoenix man was arrested on felony animal-cruelty charges for the mistreatment and neglect of his two horses, marking the second time in just more than a week that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has nabbed somebody over abused horses. MCSO deputies arrested Jesse Noriega, 33, for alleged neglect of...

By Jason Lewis

July 12, 2012

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A Phoenix man was arrested on felony animal-cruelty charges for the mistreatment and neglect of his two horses, marking the second time in just more than a week that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has nabbed somebody over abused horses.

MCSO deputies arrested Jesse Noriega, 33, for alleged neglect of his full-grown mare and its colt, as the Sheriff's Office says deputies found the two horses severely underweight and visibly neglected.

The mare suffered from a broken ankle so severe that it had to be euthanized.

Noriega admitted to police that he was fully responsible for the care and condition of the horses, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The colt was taken to MCSO's animal shelter, which currently houses 14 horses.

Last week, it was 52-year-old Michelle Salazar who was arrested for alleged abuse of horses.

Seven of her horses were seized during the search of a boarding house in Rio Verde.

The seven horses were found malnourished and appeared to be 300 to 400 pounds underweight, the MCSO says. One of the horses was euthanized on the scene.

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