By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

A Delco couple faces animal abuse charges after eight horses were removed from their home July 12.

Columbus County Animal Control Director Rossie Hayes said he went to the home of Terry and Anita Hewett after a complaint about the couple’s horses.

The Hewetts were charged with one count each of misdemeanor cruelty to animals. The warrant accuses the couple of intentionally denying adequate food to the horses. They live at 234 Cemetery Rd., Delco.

Hayes said he and volunteer animal cruelty investigator Lisa Hartman found the animals living in “awful” conditions.
The tip came from a resident who called Hartman, Hayes said. “In the summer, Hayes said, “horses should be all sleek and healthy. These were starved, and their coats ragged.”

Hayes took out warrants for animal cruelty against the couple the same day. He and Hartman returned to the home with deputies, who served the warrant and removed the animals.

When they returned, Hayes said, No Trespassing signs had been erected on the fence around the home and pasture.

Hartman will keep the horses in a rescue facility in Pender County until the Hewetts appear in court Oct. 12. If found guilty, they could face a fine, the loss of the animals and jail time.

Hartman, who is a volunteer, said she has been tracking the Hewetts since Anita Hewett lived in Pender County. Hartman said she investigated a complaint about Hewett’s horses at that time.
“I’ve been working on this for over a year,” Hartman said, “trying to find these horses.”

The eight horses removed are receiving medical care, Hartman said. Four horses reportedly owned by the Hewetts – two of which Hartman said she examined earlier this year – are still unaccounted for.