Verona woman charged with animal cruelty after horse neglect investigation

VERONA — A 49-year-old woman was arrested Sept. 12 following an animal cruelty investigation at a local horse boarding facility, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

Misty Carey, owner of MC Stables in the Town of Verona, faces 17 counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance, all class A misdemeanors.

She also faces one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a class E felony.

The investigation began July 3 when the Criminal Investigation Unit received a complaint about multiple malnourished horses at MC Stables.

Deputies and investigators responded to check on the welfare of the horses.

During the investigation, 17 horses were located and evaluated on scene by a local veterinarian.

The horses’ health conditions were scored poorly using the Henneke Scoring System.

One horse appeared to have sustained untreated injuries, causing its condition to deteriorate and ultimately require euthanization.

MC Stables was responsible for boarding, training and racing horses for multiple individuals.

Some horse owners arranged the removal of their animals from MC Stables after being contacted by investigators.

On July 8, deputies executed a search warrant at MC Stables and removed the remaining horses from the property.

The horses were transported and boarded by several volunteers throughout the investigation.

The case was forwarded to the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office for grand jury consideration.

An indictment warrant was issued Sept. 11.

Carey was taken into custody by members of the Criminal Investigation Unit and Road Patrol Unit and transported to the Kurt B. Wyman Law Enforcement Building for processing.

She was held at the Oneida County Jail pending arraignment.

Carey was arraigned in County Court Sept. 15 and released on her own recognizance.

The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Rome Humane Society, Rovers Do Over, Leatherstocking Veterinary Services, Oneida Equine Service and several volunteers.