Bench warrants have been issued for the arrest of a Chandler woman and a man from Spencer facing multiple counts of animal cruelty.
Formal charges were filed March 15 this year in Lincoln County District Court against Lauren Patricia Carter-Clark, 34, and Darwin Rideau, about 32.
Bench warrants of $5,000 each have been issued for their arrest, court records show.
Clark has been charged with a total of eight counts of animal cruelty and Rideau has been charged with two counts.
Clark is accused of between Sep. 5, 2023 and Dec. 5, 2023 of cruelly neglecting three horses and three dogs by not providing them necessary food, drink, shelter, and/ or veterinary care at 340673 Scissortail Road in Chandler.
She and Rideau together are accused between those same dates of cruelly neglecting two horses by not providing them necessary food, drink, shelter and/or veterinary care at that same address.
Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Phillip Bennett states in a probable cause affidavit that on Sep. 5, 2023 he was informed by dispatch that three horses and several dogs had been abandoned at 340673 Scissorail Road, Chandler.
Bennett states he responded to that address on that date and noticed three horses standing in a 10 feet by 10 feet makeshift corral held together by bailing wire. He noted there was no physical shelter available to the horses other than nearby shade trees. The only food available he was able to see on the property was hay stored about 40 yards from animals outside of the corral.
He determined they were being neglected of proper care. He also located three dogs on the property, two were on chains and one was running around free. He was unable to locate any food or water sources for the dogs at that time.
Bennett reportedly posted an animal compliance form on a fence post. He returned, he states, again on Oct. 15 and Dec. 3, 2023 in an attempt to contact the property owners but was still not able to do so.
He returned on Dec. 5, 2023 with a search warrant that he served on the property and reported the animals’ conditions had not noticeably improved and were still being severely neglected. Pursuant to the search warrant, he contacted Blaze Animal Rescue out of Harrah to assist in the recovery of two of the horses and the two remaining dogs.
At that facility, he stated, a licensed veterinarian would complete examinations of the animals and provide a detailed report of their conditions that were provided to the sheriff’s office upon its completion.