7 Horses Dead, 14 Alive And Starving In Starbuck

STARBUCK (AP) — A Starbuck farm owner could face criminal charges after authorities found seven dead horses, and 14 others that were alive but severely malnourished.

The 14 surviving horses are being moved to a farm in Stevens County.

Pope County sheriff's deputies and Humane Society staff found the horses last week.

Bensen vet Kathleen Jost says neighbors began noticing the horses were thin, and officials started getting calls. Jost says some of the surviving horses might not have lived for another day or two.

Jost said half the animals could be adopted by this weekend and could recover in a few weeks, but others will take months to reach a healthy weight.

The Pope County prosecutor expects to file multiple criminal charges against the owner Monday.