ASHLAND — An Ashland couple’s arraignment for alleged crimes that led to the rescue of 16 horses and several other animals in mid-November has been rescheduled for late January.
Lona Stewart, 69, and Robert Stewart Jr., 88, have each been charged with seven crimes related to to the cruelty of animals. Charges were filed Dec. 14 at Ashland Municipal Court.
The Milton Township couple had been scheduled to appear before Judge John Good on Tuesday.
However, the Stewarts hired Mansfield attorney James Mayer, who successfully requested the arraignment and pre-trial be rescheduled to Jan. 27.
Mayer was not immediately available to comment.
The charges stem from a Nov. 16 incident in which the Humane Society of the United States and several area law enforcement agencies removed 16 horses, six goats and several cats and dogs from B&L Ranch off County Road 1475.
Kirsten Peek, a public information officer with the Humane Society, initially described the situation as “pretty bad.”
A photo of a horse rescued Nov. 16 from B&L Ranch with what appears to be an injured eye.
Humane Society of the United States
“There’s feces piled up, many inches, if not feet high, in the stalls,” she said. “Almost to the windows. The hooves are extremely overgrown. Visually, it looks like they have untreated injuries.
"One of them has what looks like a ruptured eye … it definitely does not seem like they’re getting the attention they need.”
