Neighbor, animal control officer speak on animal neglect, living conditions

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Story Published: Oct 7, 2009 at 4:11 PM PST

By Kristina Nelson, KCBY News

COQUILLE, Ore. - The woman accused of neglecting ten horses at her home in North Bend, faced a judge and jury Wednesday, in day one of a two day trial, where she is facing multiple charges of animal abuse and animal neglect.

64 year-old Bobbye Cikanek, sat alongside her court appointed attorney Alan Goldman, in a Coos County Courtroom listening to testimony from neighbors and animal control officers.

Cikanek is facing abuse and neglect charges that stem from a two month long investigation from March 18th to May 13th, where animal control officers and sheriff's deputies looked into the living conditions of ten Tennessee Walking Horses being kept at Cikanek's North Bend residence.

Cikanek's next door neighbor John Beckmeyer took the witness stand, and testified on the horses living conditions and their overall health.

"The feet were so long on the front of the horses that the hooves had grown, had not been trimmed, I don't think ever," says Beckmeyer.

When asked if the horses, in his opinion were receiving adequate care, he replied no.

Animal Control Officer Richard Hoover, says he made multiple trips to the residence and tried to work with Cikanek to improve the conditions on her property but it never happened.

"There was a lot of mud and horses laying in the mud. The areas where she was feeding these animals was in mud. I had never seen feet let go to that extent. I'd seen that in abandoned horses where their feet were either so long or so broken and chipped, that it affects the horses life," says Hoover.

We will bring you more coverage on this trial, which continues Thursday in Coquille.

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