Choctaw Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty After 300 Animals Seized From Property

A 68-year-old Choctaw woman faces seven felony counts of animal cruelty after police removed her starving horses from her property. But police said the woman is getting off easy. They said there were hundreds of animals suffering. 

Police said they had to seize more than 300 animals, mostly chickens, rabbits and horses from the home of Irma Kendrick after the animals were found in deplorable conditions.

“I’m surprised some of them were still able to stand on their own,” Officer Kenneth Grant of the Choctaw police department said of the horses.

“The rabbits, they all looked healthy till you got your hands on them. Once you got your hands on them, you could feel their ribs. And same way with the chickens,” he said.

Nearly 200 rabbits were found stacked in filthy cages, most were starving and living in several inches of their own waste. About 100 chickens were also found starving.

Kendrick surrendered the animals.

The rabbits were taken to the Oklahoma Rabbit Rescue and the chickens were taken to a free-range farm.

The horses, many of them starving and suffering with dental issues and disease, were taken to Blazes Tribute Equine Rescue. Two died, but rest are doing much better.

This is the second time Kendrick has had her horses seized and taken here to Blazes Tribute. In all, they have cared for 26 of Kendrick’s horses.

“Something’s gotta [sic] be done. This is the second case that she’s been involved with that we had to remove horses from her on. No more animals should have to suffer from her negligence,” said Natalee Cross of Blaze's Tribute Equine Rescue.

“She did not provide them any care. She was feeding them cattle feed when she was feeding them. They had no hay. They were all in tiny little pens,” said Cross.

A News 9 crews went to Kendrick’s home. News 9 couldn’t get on the property, but could see she had at least two more horses there.

“It pisses me off,” said Cross. “If she doesn’t serve time or something, how long before we’re there again?”