U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS RELEASE
Two Pershing, County Nevada men were charged in federal court today with killing five wild horses on federally-managed lands in northern Nevada, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Todd Davis, 44, and Joshua Keathley, 36, both of Lovelock, Nevada, are charged in a criminal information with causing the death of wild horses. According to the information, on November 28, 2009, in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Buckhorn Horse Management Area of Northern Washoe County, Nevada, Davis and Keathley maliciously caused the death and harassment of five wild free-roaming horses by shooting them. Davis is employed by the Pershing County Water Conservation District in Lovelock. Keathley’s employment is unknown.
Davis and Keathley are scheduled to make initial appearances in court on the charges on April 27, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. If convicted, they face up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The investigation is being conducted by BLM’s Office of Law Enforcement and Security California State Office in Redding, California, with the assistance of the Lovelock Police Department, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, the Washoe County Forensic Services Division, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and the California Department of Fish and Game. The Humane Society of the United States and the State of Nevada Commission for the Preservation of Wild Horses also contributed to the investigation.
The public is reminded that a criminal information contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
