BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man is accused of animal cruelty after deputies said he left a horse and pony to starve on his property, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the property on Aug. 5, 2024, located in the 500 block of Shagbark to investigate an animal cruelty case.
Recommended Videos
When deputies arrived, a resident told them that a family member owned the horse and pony.
The resident also said that the horse had wandered onto the property, and the pony was purchased from a flea market, BCSO said.
The horse and pony, who were severely malnourished, were inside a stall with three empty buckets. Deputies said their bones could be seen.
When the horse and pony were removed from the stall, they immediately started eating grass.
The property owner, 36-year-old Alfredo Farias Jr., admitted stealing the horse but claimed he bought the pony shortly after. BCSO said Farias said he had receipts from the purchase but could not provide them.
The suspect said that he had photos of the horse and pony malnourished before he claimed their custody, but he could not provide those photos, deputies said.
Farias knew that the horse and pony were poorly nourished, but he did not provide medical treatment, BCSO said. He was arrested and charged with cruelty to livestock animals, a state jail felony.