Case Snapshot
Case ID: 15321
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: horse, cow, other farm animal
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Person(s) in animal care
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Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Mark Pratt


For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.



Friday, Mar 6, 2009

County: Hill

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Gregory Brinkley

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Hundreds of animals were seized Thursday and Friday afternoon at a ranch just outside of Blum in Hill County.

Hill County Sheriff Deputies showed up Thursday after reports from neighbors and passers-by that a man claiming to run a program to nurse sick horses back to health was neglecting the animals.

What began as a routine seizure turned momentarily dangerous when the ranch owner, 50 year old Greg Brinkley, suddenly appeared from the woods armed with a pistol grip shotgun, deputies said.

They reacted by grabbing their own guns and tackling Brinkley, who was arrested.

Hill County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyon said the 86-acre ranch is too small for the more than 200 animals, including horses, cows and llamas that were kept there.

"The condition of the animals was deplorable...horrendous and terrible. I've never seen anything like this in my entire career of law enforcement," said Lyon.

Brinkley's girlfriend, Rilla Craven, said the horses weren't neglected.

She said many had a deadly disease.

"When the horses go down with the Strangles that has gone to their lungs and turned into pneumonia, it kills 'em," she said.

Brinkley is now charged with 25 counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.


Case Updates

Aggravated-assault and animal-cruelty cases against a Cleburne man were recently disposed of following action in 66th District Court and Hill County Court At Law.

Gregory W. Brinkley has remained in the Hill County Law Enforcement Center since his arrest the first week in March near Blum.

Authorities seized 166 horses, 67 cattle, two llamas, a donkey and a mule after going to property on HCR 1104LP off Highway 174 to investigate an animal-cruelty complaint.

Hill and Johnson county sheriff’s departments and Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) conducted the investigation.

The suspect was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant.

He allegedly pointed a weapon at two Johnson County deputies at the scene.

In addition, 25 cruelty-to-animals cases were filed on the man based on the number of dead animals found on the property.

The remaining animals were awarded to the humane society following a civil proceeding the middle of March.

In the felony-assault cases, Brinkley received six years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which was deferred, according to a spokesman for District Attorney Dan V. Dent.

He was also ordered to perform 180 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine, plus court costs.

Most recently in County Court at Law, the suspect received the maximum of 12 months in the county jail on the misdemeanor animal-cruelty cases.

In addition, he was assessed $9,125 in fines and court costs, plus $3,500 in restitution for his medical bills while incarcerated.

According to County Attorney Mark Pratt, the civil forfeiture of the animals was confirmed, along with $24,007.45 in restitution to the humane society and $2,347.44 to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department to cover investigative costs.

Brinkley had served 145 days in the county jail at the time of his latest plea. He could be released this fall with good-time credit.

The animal seizure was the largest in the 114-year history of the HSNT.
Source: The Hillsboro Reporter - Aug 4, 2009
Update posted on Aug 4, 2009 - 4:15PM 
A suspect in a recent animal-cruelty case has been indicted on felony assault charges by a Hill County grand jury.

According to District Attorney Dan Dent, Gregory Brinkley, 50, of Cleburne was indicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Brinkley has been in the Hill County Law Enforcement Center since the first week in March when law-enforcement and humane society officials confiscated horses, cows and llamas that he had on property near Blum.

The animals were later turned over to the Humane Society of North Texas following a civil-court proceeding.

The assault indictments stemmed from the suspect allegedly pointing a weapon at two Johnson County Sheriff's Office deputies during the seizure process.

According to a spokesman for the Hill County Law Enforcement Center, Brinkley had no attorney of record as of late last week.

His first court hearing on the felony cases is tentatively set for Tuesday, May 26, in 66th District Court.

The 25 counts of cruelty to animals filed against Brinkley are pending in Hill County Court-at-Law.

County Attorney Mark Pratt, who will prosecute those misdemeanor cases, said that he was unsure whether the court had set the cases for hearing.

The court's coordinator was out of a town at a seminar last week.
Source: Hillsboro Reporter - May 4, 2009
Update posted on May 4, 2009 - 12:51PM 

References

  • « TX State Animal Cruelty Map
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