Jury selection is scheduled today for the trial of a Rochester Mills woman charged with twelve misdemeanor counts of neglect of animals.
The case began in late 2017. 38-year-old Crystal Thornsberry operated Heart Felt Equine Rescue, a Conemaugh Township nonprofit that purported to take care of neglected horses, but according to Mindy James of a group called Paws Across Pittsburgh Humane Police, Thornsberry neglected to care for six horses at her farm along Barkley Road. James said the horses did not have proper shelter and were not given enough hay or water, and two horses, a mare and its newborn baby, were found dead in a field.
Thornsberry moved some of the horses to a property in Rochester Mills, but James was granted a search warrant and found more neglect. She and members of Second Chance Equine Rescue, along with a veterinarian and other equine caregivers took the animals under their care. The animals were suffering a variety of medical complications.
Thornsberry is charged with twelve third degree misdemeanors counts of neglect of animals – six each for failure to provide sustenance and water and failure to provide shelter and protection. Two charges of cruelty to animals were dismissed at district court. Judge William Martin will conduct the trial.
