Mayor Wants Organized Horse Watch

Davie pol's "Barn Watch" to target horse slaughterers

By Brian Hamacher
|  Monday, Aug 24, 2009  |  Updated 8:00 AM EDT
View Comments (
)
|
Email
|
Print
Mayor Wants Organized Horse Watch

Getty Images

Nearly 20 horses have been killed in South Florida, and communities are on high alert to find the perpetrators.

advertisement

Community members have been seeking vigilante justice for the South Florida horse killings for weeks, but now the Mayor of Davie wants to organize her own patrols to catch the heartless horse butchers.

Mayor Judy Paul wants to start a "Community Barn Watch" program in the hopes of catching the people responsible for the 19 horse killing throughout Miami-Dade and Miramar, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Paul, herself an owner of two horses and a donkey, wants to post "Barn Watch" signs similar to "Neighborhood Watch" signs throughout the areas where the horses have been found slaughtered.

The signs will be unveiled at a Town Hall meeting Wednesday night. Paul will also discuss how horse owners can better coordinate their efforts to protect their horses.

Last week, members of the Miami-Dade Police Department met with concerned residents who have taken up their own horse watch, to try to organize their efforts to make them more effective.

"We have a very active investigation going on and we're very concerned about this and we want to make arrests on this case," Lt. Sheree Dibernardo, of the Miami-Dade Police Dept., said.

Police believe most of the horses have been killed for their meat, which is possibly being sold on the black market. Owners have awoken to find the lifeless horse carcasses carved up, limbs chopped off, and hunks of meat missing.

Over $10,000 in rewards are being offered for information leading to any arrests.

Posted Aug 24, 2009
Leave Comments
What's New
Get Our New iPad App
Now optimized for iPad, NBC Miami connects you to the top local stories, latest breaking news and real-time weather and traffic.
Follow Us
Sign up to receive news and updates that matter to you.
Send Us Your Story Tips
Check Out