Washington County Man Charged After Refusing To Let Deputies Rescue Horses In Flood Waters

A Washington County man faces several charges of animal cruelty after deputies say he refused to let them rescue 11 horses in flood waters. 

They say the horses were waist deep in water; one was even neck deep. They also said they found 2 dead horses, a dead donkey, and a dead pig. 

Deputies say they had to use a boat to make contact with Joseph Purrington Senior who was trapped on the second floor on his home due to flooding. An affidavit says he told deputies that he didn't want to be rescued. It also says when asked if deputies could rescue the horses, he said no and told them to get off his property. 

After deputies got an emergency order, the horses were rescued but had signs of hypothermia, malnourishment, and exhaustion with some having deep cuts. The report said the animals needed to be rescued because of the cold temperature of the water, the strength of the current, the lack of food and drinkable water, and the possibility of infectious contaminants in the water.