The Trial Begins

“Maybe I should be locked up.”

(Ernie Paragallo, April 2009)

“These horses were not emaciated, judge. This is a horse farm. You have to give horses adequate sustenance. You don’t have to give them sugar cubes, carrots and apples.”

(Paragallo’s defense attorney Michael Howard, Feburary 2010)

The start of Ernie Paragallo’s trial has not been a top news event so far.

Not much drama is to be expected; there is no Michael Vicks-like celebrity to deliver headlines.

Ernie Paragallo (far right) at Greene County Court on February 24, 2010.

Mr. Paragallo chose a non-jury trial:  he argued that jurors could not be objective after having been exposed, a year ago, to the news and photographs of the abused horses at Center Brook Farm.

I want to emphasize:  a year ago.

Coconut Martini on her way out of misery

The victims of the abuse cannot speak for themselves and because of many good people who helped them survive and recover there are no recent images of emaciated horse bodies.  But the horrifying photographs from April last year are documents of what happened at Center Brook Farm.  The owner of the farm is responsible for the conditions of the animals in his care.

“This is a horse farm. You have to give horses adequate sustenance.”

Ernie Paragallo forsook his own horses.  He must be held responsible for the disgraceful conditions that came to light a year ago.

Following links to news coverage on the trial:

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/02/25/news/doc4b85de1f42fbf252359032.txt

http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2010/02/25/news/doc4b860d6cc82a9782262414.txt

http://www.examiner.com/x-25445-West-Palm-Beach-Horse-Rescue-Examiner~y2010m2d25-Paragallo-trial-begins-in-Greene-County-Court

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/02/prominent-thoroughbred-racehorse-breeder-goes-on-trial-for-animal-cruelty-in-new-york-1.html

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2010/February/24/Paragallo-to-police-Maybe-I-should-be-locked-up.aspx