Animal cruelty charges against Utah Quarter Horse trainer Shamus Josef Haws will not be dismissed, according to an order handed down by a Salt Lake County judge last week. The charges stem from a 2014 probe that revealed nearly a dozen dead horses dead on Haws' Magna, Utah, property.
Last July, investigators discovered the remains of 10 horses and one living horse on Haws' property. No available water source was found on the property. Results of necropsies conducted by the Utah state veterinarian's office revealed that the horses died of dehydration. Haws was subsequently charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty.
Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney Adam Blanch said that on April 10, Haws asked the court to dismiss the charges on grounds that prosecutors lacked the evidence to proceed