Duplin county investigators are still trying to figure out why a man described as a “horse enthusiast”* would allow his horses to die of malnutrition and the elements and then kill himself in a stand-off with authorities onSunday.
Deputies responded around noon Sunday to a home Tram Road near Mt. Olive after getting an anonymous tip about animal neglect. But Sunday wasn't the first time the sheriff's office got calls to this house.
The first call came in the summer of 2009, Animal Control reported minor violations, but deemed the horses---fit to remain in the care of Clifton Jacobs.
The second call came in Friday, but Sheriff Blake Wallace says the horses appeared to be healthy, "Legally we had no standing to enter that residence or even do an exhaustive search of the property without the search warrant,” Wallace said.
But the final call on Sunday was a whole different picture. Sheriff Wallace says he filed for a search warrant shortly after the call came in. And within five hours it led to uncovering a total of 13 dead horses---mainly in the wooded area behind the home.
Authorities say when they entered Jacobs home he was armed with a firearm in his bedroom. sheriff Wallace says it quickly escalated once he was cornered by authorities, "Mr. Jacobs turned the gun on himself,” Sheriff Wallace said. “Had we gone in that house without that search warrant and gotten into a shootout with Mr. Jacobs…without having legal standing to be there than the office and the deputies and myself would have been libel.”
Authorities say Jacobs had never been charged with animal neglect, but did have a history of assault on an officer. Investigators also say Jacobs was unemployed and was struggling financially.
The Tender, Love, and Care Horse Farm in Richlands is medically caring for 7 surviving horses; two are emaciated and five are under weight. Owner Tim Thomas says they are getting proper food and medication but they cannot be adopted because of their health and legal procedures. We’re told Jacobs next of kin could get custody of the horses.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement