LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. - A Litchfield Park woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly starving two horses she bought on Craigslist.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detectives found the two horses in distress due to a lack of nourishment. The owner of the horses, 30-year-old Amber Dahl, said she bought them but didn't have the financial ability to care for them.
According to court documents, Dahl admitted she would feed the horses smaller amounts of food than she knew they needed, in order to make it last until she was paid again.
Detectives said both horses, named Mercedes and Coal, were hundreds of pounds underweight. Mercedes, between 15 and 18 years old, had to be euthanized. MCSO said the horse was 350 pounds underweight. Coal, about 8 years old, was about 250 pounds underweight and was taken to MCSO's MASH compound to be evaluated.
According to the sheriff's office, Coal has put on 18 pounds in just under two weeks.
Dahl was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on two charges of animal neglect. She was later released on her own recognizance.