Three animal cruelty suspects tried to turn themselves in about two weeks ago, but they were turned away.
One of them showed potential COVID-19 symptoms, so they were told to come back later to be arrested on felony charges stemming from 22 horses being mistreated, the Henry County Sheriff's Office said.
On Sunday, the trio returned and were booked into jail, the sheriff’s office told AJC.com. Michelle Phillips, Jason Jones and Brittany Phillips each face two counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to online jail records.
Henry County police tied the suspects to the horses, who were found starving at a property on King Mill Road in March, AJC.com previously reported. Two of the horses have since died.
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On March 23, the police department posted on Facebook that the lookout for the three suspects had been canceled. The post did not elaborate on their custody at the time, implying that they had been found or arrested.
That was shortly after they tried to surrender to police but were turned away, the sheriff’s office said.
“Due to the health concern, we did not take them into custody at that time but advised them to stay in touch with our department,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “They were given a timeline to turn themselves back in.”
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted several Georgia jails and prisons to release select nonviolent offenders in an effort to prevent COVID-19 from spreading among inmates.
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Henry County Animal Control released photos of the horses that showed that several were bony, matted and missing patches of hair when they were found.
MORE: 22 horses found malnourished, mistreated at Henry County property
Credit: Henry County Animal Control
Credit: Henry County Animal Control
The agency has been working with state officials and local organizations like the Georgia Equine Rescue League and Canine Pet Rescue to feed the surviving animals and provide them with veterinary care. Several of the horses have been placed with caregivers around metro Atlanta.
The trio were granted $8,550 bonds, according to jail records. Michelle Phillips and Brittany Phillips remained in custody Monday afternoon, while Jones’ name did not show up in online jail records.
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