ALL the News & Case Updates!

Howdy folks. This post contains updates on the cases of Barb Thiry, Otter Creek, Sean Janas, and Brandy Nicole Woolums. Before we dive into that seething mess of sinners, however...

Midwest Horse Welfare Won 

the Sentry 10K for a Cause contest!!

 Thanks to your votes and their hard work, they'll get a much-needed $10,000. Woooo hooo!

Do you want to win something too?

You could win a barn brand-new from Nutrena! Well, a small barn. They're giving away an adorable 24' x 30' x 10' mini-barn perfect for a couple of horse stalls and a tack room, and one whole ton of feed (your choice of horse, dog, chicken or cattle feed).

The rules are, you need to be at least 18, live in the United States, have your land ready by Sept. 1st, and you have to pay for any building permits, rezoning or inspections. You also have to do any site prep and electrical work yourself.

So what's the catch? Well, when you enter, you're agreeing to get a bunch of advertising in the mail from the barn builders and Nutren. You'll also be getting a monthly newsletter from Horse&Rider and EQUUS, which you can unsubscribe from. That's not so bad! Read the full rules here.

 Now on to the badguys...

Horse Abuser Arrested:

 Michael A. Feist 
Threatened Deputy 
with Sledgehammer

Over 80 Animals Still Remain in His Hands
Wife Brenda Weierke-Feist Still Not Charged

Yesterday, The Osceola Sun published the following article on their Facebook page:
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Otter Creek Ranch Owner Arrested for Disorderly Conduct

As part of an ongoing investigation into suspected animal neglect at Otter Creek Ranch in Milltown, a deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Department arrived for a court ordered inspection on December 27. He was met by a sledgehammer wielding property owner.
 
Michael Allen Feist, 58, Milltown, met the deputy in the driveway with sledgehammer in hand. He was yelling very loudly and swearing. Feist demanded that the deputy leave the property immediately and was quoted as saying "get the *expletive* off my property this is harassment!" The deputy stopped approximately 40 feet from Feist and attempted to de-escalate the situation through verbal command. 

Feist continued to shout demands and profanities as the deputy requested that he put the sledgehammer down. Feist refused, adjusted his grip on the hammer, and took an “aggressive combative stance.” While giving Feist several more verbal directives to drop the hammer, the deputy reached for his sidearm. At this point Feist did release the hammer, but continued to yell at the deputy to get off his property.

The deputy began to walk toward Feist as he attempted to talk him into calming down. When Feist made a move to again retrieve the sledgehammer, the deputy told him that he was under arrest. Feist refused all verbal commands to stop and continued to move towards the sledgehammer while verbally threatening to assault the deputy. The deputy then sprayed Feist in the face with a burst of Pepper Spray. Feist continued to resist as the deputy held him to the ground and struggled to cuff him. Feist was warned that if he continued to struggle, he would be tased. As he continued to resist, Feist told the deputy that he was a karate expert. The deputy tased Feist, forced him into handcuffs, and escorted him to the back seat of a patrol car.

Feist was transported to the Polk County Jail where he was decontaminated by Jail staff. Feist stated several times that he didn't require medical attention.
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A version of this article published by the Pioneer Press is also available to read here. 

Feist was released (on the same day this happened!) via a $500 signature bond. Why in God's name wasn't he put in jail?! These days preschoolers can be expelled for bringing a plastic butter knife to school, but this sack of shit animal abuser with a mile-long record is allowed to roam free after threatening a cop with a sledgehammer?! Oh, and by the way, all of it happened in the presence of Feist's teenage son. Just think about that. It's bad enough that Feist is setting an awful example for his family about how to treat animals and deal with police, but what if he'd actually forced the deputy to shoot him? Feist's son would have seen his father killed in front of him. Incredible.

Feist is due in court for Felony Bail Jumping, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct on January 13th... but in the meantime, he's still able to keep abusing his 80+ animals. Brenda Weierke-Feist, his wife, still hasn't been charged with anything. I do not understand how she isn't being held just as responsible for the horrific neglect on her own farm. Her own criminal record is three pages long, so she's hardly an innocent. In fact, judging by this document, which shows she kept on treating patients despite her revoked license (even after being warned multiple times), Brenda has no respect for the law whatsoever. She recently popped up on the Facebook page dedicated to saving the Otter Creek Horses, demanding that people stop talking about her and threatening to sue. HAH! People who are worried about their reputation should just, ya know, not do terrible things. I love it when abusers rant and whine that the public shouldn't be talking about the abuse. It just shows how little they understand consequences.

Click on the picture to read the article

 Aside from the necropsy report on the 4 horses found dead in September, we continue to get no news about the condition of the Otter Creek animals themselves. I'm afraid no news probably means very bad news. There had been some rumors that Polk County was supplying feed for the animals at Otter Creek Ranch, but that appears to be untrue. Left to Feist's neglect and the bitter cold, I'm sure more have died. You know what you should do about that? Call or write to the judge in this case and tell her to get those animals out of there!  715-485-9293

Judge Molly E. GaleWyrick
1005 W. Main St. Suite 600
Balsam Lake, WI 54810

Barb Thiry Still Crazy
Still Trying to Keep Stallions
3 of Her Former Horses Now Up for Adoption

Somehow, on Jan. 8th, Barb Thiry was able to make a second $350 payment to the courts for the upkeep of her two stallions that remain in foster care while her trial proceeds. I'd like to find whoever is giving her the money and give them a good hard slap to the face. Now that the three mares taken by the courts are rehabilitated and up for adoption, not even the worst kind of skeptic can deny that she was starving them. Lady in particular has gained a tremendous amount of weight with proper care, in a very short amount of time, during one of the coldest winters in decades. 

If you are interested in adopting any of the mares, you can see them online via the Dane County Humane Society website.

During the last update on this case, I showed you that Barb took to Craigslist to explain her side of the story (basically that she's the poor victim here). Her ungrammatical, laughably incomplete, nonsensical posts were amusing. Perhaps even she recognized that she could not handle something as complicated as Craigslist, because now she's passing around carefully handwritten notes. Look at that gorgeous handwriting! She may be batshit crazy, and blaming everyone but herself for the terrible condition her horses were in and subsequent rescue attempts... but boy she sure gets an A+ in penmanship. Click the picture to enlarge it.

Dog Torturer Gets New Trial Date

Judge Rules Her Diary Confessions Admissible

Trial Will Be Held in Her Home County

Sean Janas. Truly, she must be one of the most evil people alive right now, and I'm ashamed that she comes from Wausau, WI.

You can read my original blog about here, but to make a long story short: Janas tortured her boyfriend's dog for over a year. Despite two incidents during which vets noted abuse, nothing was done. Eventually Janas killed the dog. She would never have been prosecuted if the police hadn't been handed the case on a silver platter by Janas's boyfriend's father, who turned over this bitch's abandoned diary. It contained detailed descriptions of the torture as well as Janas's enjoyment of the pain and horror she was inflicting.

Now it seems she's finally going to trial this March, after many delays and several legal battles. Crucially, the judge in this case is allowing Janas's diary as evidence, and has refused to move her trial away from where she committed her horrible acts. Good. I hope she does some hard time. It seems as though she will do some time at least for the Grand Theft charge she's facing.

Brandy Nicole Woolums Strikes Again

You may not remember her, but you should! Beware that name. Every couple of months, someone new will message me, trying to get some help finding this lying, stealing horse dealer and tack trader. Each time I have to tell them sorry, I just have the same address the courts do-- that would be in Delavan, WI by the way.

The most recent person to email me laments, "I purchased a saddle from her and she sold it to someone else while my money order was going through the mail. She said she would mail mine back but never did and now she blocked me on Facebook."

You can read my original blog on Brandy here... where it appears that Brandy herself has popped up in the comments section!!

OK, that's enough depressing stuff. Let me leave you with a few positive and interesting events:

The Last of the Pleasant Prairie Horses Has Found a Home
Read about this case and watch a video at this link.
I'm very happy that ALL of these horses are now safe and happy!

Wisconsin Families Adopt Wild Mustangs
You can adopt your own mustang too! Check out the BLM online auction. 

The next one starts Jan. 21st, with pictures of the horses posted starting Jan. 13th.

University of Wisconsin to Host Equine Nutrition Seminar

On Saturday, February 22nd, UW Madison will host a mini-conference that will cover the following topisc:

• Body weight and body condition scoring
• Matching hay to your horse’s needs and problems associated with feeding
• Recognizing the normal plants in hay and pasture
• Laws about horse neglect and removing horses from unhealthy living environments
• Feeding the horse that has been neglected or starved
• Feeding the Cushingoid horse

That's all right up my alley! And each topic is covered by a very knowledgeable professional. I'd like to go, how about you? The only obstacle is the $50 registration fee... and it goes up to $60 if you don't register before Feb. 2nd! However, there is a group rate: $44 per person if you can get five people together. Hmmm!

The seminar will also feature a silent auction and food vendor. Parking is free. You can read the whole brochure for yourself here.


That's all for now, folks-- I am still working on that rescue and hope to update you soon.