Rachel Sword arrested for animal cruelty: A Texas woman, 22, was arrested on felony charges of animal cruelty after 24 dogs and 12 horses were found dead on her ranch on Friday. According to the Collin County website, Rachel Sword, 22, of Westminster, Texas, is charged with a third-degree felony for cruelty to non-livestock animals as well as abuse of livestock animals.
According to FOX 4, which cited the arrest warrant affidavit, Sword resides on the property, which her grandparents own. Her grandparents told police that they have difficulty caring for their animals as they were aging and thought Sword was doing so.
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Investigators located several deceased horses on the property
According to the affidavit, “Investigators discovered multiple dead horses on the premises. The horses’ deterioration ranged from being entirely skeletonized to being only half skeletonized with skin and fur, which normally signifies that they had not recently died. Some of the dogs were reportedly found dead in cages inside the RV Sword was staying in, while others were found in regions with no shade.
The Collin County Sheriff’s Office allegedly stated in a statement: “Collin County has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the abandonment or cruelty to animals. Collin County is committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of all animals throughout the county, and incidents like this are taken very seriously.
‘It’s horrific. It’s unnecessary’
According to reports, Sword told investigators the animals belonged to her recently deceased husband, but she had been unable to care for them because of her depression. According to FOX 4, investigators connected 16 prior complaints of animal cruelty or neglect to the property after her arrest.
Deanne Murillo, a former volunteer animal cruelty investigator, is connected to many North Texas animal rescue groups. She resides only a few minutes’ drive from the property. She claims she was shocked when she learned about the arrest through her neighborhood’s Facebook group. She said, “It’s horrific. It’s unnecessary, and I’m so pissed, I would like to see her slapped as hard as possible through the law.”
Rachel Sword is being held under a $85,000 bond
Other animals found to be alive on the property include two horses, two dogs, a cow, a snake, two frogs, and a bearded dragon, for which care of animal services is presently being provided. She is still being detained on a $85,000 bail, according to the Collin County website. The two dogs, two horses, a cow, a bearded dragon, a snake, and two frogs who were found to be alive on the property are currently being cared for by animal services personnel.
