Calif. horse owner gets 60 days in jail for neglect

Five years after a raid on a Powell Butte ranch found over a dozen emaciated horses, kicking off a lengthy legal battle with their owner, a California man was sentenced Monday to two months in jail, 80 hours of community service and five years’ probation, during which he’s not allowed to own any horses or other domestic animals.

Robert Gruntz, 70, was led off to jail after the half-hour sentencing hearing. He had been convicted in June by a Crook County Circuit Court jury on 10 of 11 counts of second-degree animal neglect, a Class B misdemeanor. The jury deliberated for about two hours after 2 days of testimony.

Jurors rejected the argument by Gruntz and his lawyers that he was in Los Angeles and did not know (nor should he have been expected to know) the poor condition of the horses, among 80 found at the ranch under ownership of the Arlington Group.

But special animal-abuse prosecutor Jake Kamins disputed that and said Gruntz should have known about the condition of the horses, and the jury agreed.

Kamins said he requested the maximum six-month sentence, but was pleased by the outcome of the sentence by Circuit Judge Daniel Ahern.

A $300,000, three-year grant from the Animal Legal Defense Fund to the Oregon District Attorney’s Association is paying for Kamin’s work around the state, prosecuting animal abuse and neglect cases.

Kamins said there was a joint agreement with Gruntz’s attorney Geoffrey Gokey, on $5,3,00 restitution to care for the animals from the day they were seized to the time they were forfeited to authorities.

Kamins said Gruntz’s lawyer had again asked the judge to dismiss the case due to concerns over lack of a “speedy trial.” Ahern denied that, as well as a request that the sentence be stayed pending an appeal of the conviction.

Ahern sentenced Gruntz to 60 days in jail on one count of the conviction, and on the others placed him on five years probation, making “findings that each conviction was a separate criminal incident,” Kamins said.

In court Monday, Gruntz again maintained his innocence, saying he wasn’t aware of or responsible for the horses’ care.

One reason the case took so long, Kamins noted, was when the judge granted a defense motion to suppress evidence obtained during the raid on the Arlington Group Ranch off Hwy. 126 (where more horses were seized after a 2012 raid).

District Attorney Daina Vitolins appealed the evidence ruling to the state Court of Appeals, which ultimately reversed the judge’s decision; her office appointed Kamins to oversee the Gruntz case as it came to trial.

“It’s an interesting set of facts, but it’s clear the jury believed he had the requisite custody and control of the animals,” the special prosecutor said. “At the very least, he failed to be aware of the negligence.”

Kamins acknowledged that it can be hard to enforce conditions such as not owning any animals, especially if a person is living in another state. He said Gruntz can perform his community service in California, under Crook County probation oversight, and has the standard conditions of keeping the court up to date on his address and that he obey all laws.

“The age of the case made it a little difficult,” he said, as memories fade over time. “It was a very complicated case from the beginning, and the age of the case made it more so.” But he said the veterinarians and others involved in the horse seizure had strong memories of what they’d seen and experienced.

“I’m pleased that there was a custody sentence imposed,” Kamins said. “I’m pleased there was a maximum probation imposed.”

Kamins said he believes the conviction and sentence “sends a strong message” to horse owners that they are responsible for their proper care, no matter where they are located.

“The number of animals involved in the case, and the lack of minimum care given to the, was a real deciding factor, I believe, in coming to that sentence,” he said.

Two former ranch employees reached plea agreements on neglect charges against them and testified for the prosecution during the trial.

After the jury conviction earlier this year, DA Vitolins said Gruntz’s claims that Crook County residents didn’t know thoroughbred race horses – that they were just thin, not starving – rang hollow, and were part of an “investment scheme” he engaged in “all over the place.”

“This is the first time he’s been held accountable,” she said.