The two Bailey men charged with animal abuse will have their six horses returned to them while the prosecution in the case continues.
The horses, owned by Randall Hatlee and Ron Swift, were ordered to be returned in an April 10 decision from Fairplay-based County Court Judge Brian Green. During that hearing, Green found no probable cause to allow the seizure of the horses from the Bailey-based Echo Valley Ranch, where they were kept. That seizure was ordered by Chaffee County Judge William Alderton.
The two men will also be returned any money in “excess of normal expense of caring for horses.”
Deputy District Attorney Steve Sullivan told The Flume that the case was still ongoing, and the prosecution would continue against Hatlee and Swift. Each is facing three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
