South Carolina AG agent charged with starving horses
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A top South Carolina agriculture official and two of his relatives are accused of mistreating dozens of horses here and in Georgia, where authorities described some of the animals as looking like someone "draped a hide over bones." James Trexler, one of South Carolina's three assistant agriculture commissioners, was charged this week with five counts of ill treatment of animals. Authorities said five horses on his Hopkins property were found without food in stalls filled with manure and mud. Trexler, who was suspended without pay from the job he's held since 2003, was released from jail Thursday on bond. His mother, Hazelene Trexler, and brother Terry Trexler remained behind bars because they are considered fugitives in Georgia. Both were charged there with 30 counts of animal cruelty, authorities said. In October, investigators found about 70 Arabian horses, including one already dead, on about 75 acres in Jefferson County, Ga., sheriff's deputy Jimmy Kitchens said. "They looked like you just draped a hide over bones," Kitchens said. "I used to raise and train quarter horses, and I've never seen anything like this before. If paperwork could've been done quicker, there'd be more charges." None of the Trexlers could be reached for comment Thursday. No one answered the door at James Trexler's home. No one answered the phone at a listing for him and a message could not be left. An attorney named by the Trexlers at the bond hearing said he was not representing them. The phones for several Sumter businesses listed under Terry Trexler's name had been disconnected. The more than 20 horses seized Monday on property the mother and younger Trexler lease in Eastover, Ga., were so malnourished that their ribs were showing, said Lt. Chris Cowan, a Richland County, S.C., sheriff's spokesman. None of the horses was at optimum weight and all shared a 15-gallon trough of water, officials said. Kelly Graham, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the organization did not find any food at the property or hay in the pasture. "The field was just mud. There was no grass at all," Graham said. Hazelene Trexler, 70, is charged with 28 counts of ill treatment to animals, and Terry Trexler, 44, faces 23 counts of ill treatment to animals in South Carolina. A tip led officials to investigate James Trexler's property on Tuesday, Graham said. All 28 horses taken from the Trexlers, including a pregnant mare, are in veterinarian care and are expected to make full recoveries. The Humane Society plans to seek custody of them and eventually find people to adopt them, Graham said. Terry Trexler also faces a kidnapping charge. Deputies said he refused to let a Humane Society investigator leave when she came to the pasture this month with a camera to follow up on a tip. At the time, he claimed he was his brother, James, officials said. Terry Trexler, a former lawyer, was disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court in January 2001 after he was convicted of breach of trust. As director of administration for the Agriculture Department, James Trexler oversaw budgeting and procurement, information technology, auditing, payroll and mailing services, agency spokesman Stephen Hudson said. He declined to comment on the charges. James Trexler was hired under former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Sharpe, who resigned in 2005 after admitting he took a $10,000 bribe to protect a cockfighting ring. By SEANNA ADCOX Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A top South Carolina agriculture official and two of his relatives are accused of mistreating dozens of horses here and in Georgia, where authorities described some of the animals as looking like someone "draped a hide over bones." James Trexler, one of South Carolina's three assistant agriculture commissioners, was charged this week with five counts of ill treatment of animals. Authorities said five horses on his Hopkins property were found without food in stalls filled with manure and mud. Trexler, who was suspended without pay from the job he's held since 2003, was released from jail Thursday on bond. His mother, Hazelene Trexler, and brother Terry Trexler remained behind bars because they are considered fugitives in Georgia. Both were charged there with 30 counts of animal cruelty, authorities said. In October, investigators found about 70 Arabian horses, including one already dead, on about 75 acres in Jefferson County, Ga., sheriff's deputy Jimmy Kitchens said. "They looked like you just draped a hide over bones," Kitchens said. "I used to raise and train quarter horses, and I've never seen anything like this before. If paperwork could've been done quicker, there'd be more charges." None of the Trexlers could be reached for comment Thursday. No one answered the door at James Trexler's home. No one answered the phone at a listing for him and a message could not be left. An attorney named by the Trexlers at the bond hearing said he was not representing them. The phones for several Sumter businesses listed under Terry Trexler's name had been disconnected. The more than 20 horses seized Monday on property the mother and younger Trexler lease in Eastover, Ga., were so malnourished that their ribs were showing, said Lt. Chris Cowan, a Richland County, S.C., sheriff's spokesman. None of the horses was at optimum weight and all shared a 15-gallon trough of water, officials said. Kelly Graham, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the organization did not find any food at the property or hay in the pasture. "The field was just mud. There was no grass at all," Graham said. Hazelene Trexler, 70, is charged with 28 counts of ill treatment to animals, and Terry Trexler, 44, faces 23 counts of ill treatment to animals in South Carolina. A tip led officials to investigate James Trexler's property on Tuesday, Graham said. All 28 horses taken from the Trexlers, including a pregnant mare, are in veterinarian care and are expected to make full recoveries. The Humane Society plans to seek custody of them and eventually find people to adopt them, Graham said. Terry Trexler also faces a kidnapping charge. Deputies said he refused to let a Humane Society investigator leave when she came to the pasture this month with a camera to follow up on a tip. At the time, he claimed he was his brother, James, officials said. Terry Trexler, a former lawyer, was disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court in January 2001 after he was convicted of breach of trust. As director of administration for the Agriculture Department, James Trexler oversaw budgeting and procurement, information technology, auditing, payroll and mailing services, agency spokesman Stephen Hudson said. He declined to comment on the charges. James Trexler was hired under former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Sharpe, who resigned in 2005 after admitting he took a $10,000 bribe to protect a cockfighting ring. By SEANNA ADCOX Associated Press Writer