Woman Arrested After 27 Dead Horses Found in California

A California woman was arrested this week in an alleged case of horrific animal cruelty. Police executed a search warrant in San Joaquin County, not far from Sacramento, Wednesday related to an ongoing animal neglect case, and they say they found 27 dead horses across several properties in the area, ABC News reports. Other malnourished horses were found, and police say they had "limited access to any food or water." Sixteen horses are now in the care of an equine rescue, but four horses plus one bull were in such poor health that they had to be euthanized. Other horses and animals are still being evaluated because of the size of the properties involved, NBC News reports.

Suspect Jan Johnson faces charges of animal cruelty, threatening a public official, criminal threats, and possession of a short-barrel shotgun and has been booked into the county jail. "We are committed to protecting the welfare of all animals in our community and will continue to investigate this matter," police said in a statement. "Thank you to our Deputies and Animal Services team for their dedication and swift action in addressing this situation. We would also like to thank Oakdale Equine Rescue for their incredible support in assisting us with this rescue." (More California stories.)