WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Trexler farm may hold more evidence
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(WIS) - This week the WIS News 10 newsroom has been following stories of neglected horses. It started with horses confiscated from Hazel Trexler's land. Then more horses were confiscated from her son James' land. And he has since been suspended from his position as Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says at about 8:00pm Wednesday night the Richland County Sheriff's Department's Fugitive Task Force apprehended Hazel Trexler, 70; Terry Trexler, 44; and James Trexler, 48. Thursday morning, they appeared in court for a bond hearing:
Sheriff Lott initially said Trexler had been charged with kidnapping, but Lieutenant Chris Cowan tells WIS News 10 that Trexler's brother, Terry, claimed to be James Trexler when Humane Society investigators were on the property on February 13th.
Lott says Terry Trexler is charged with kidnapping because he refused to let the investigator leave his farm. Terry Trexler also is charged with 23 counts of ill treatment of animals.
Sheriff Anthony Dennis says they have also found shallow horse graves on the Trexler farm in Sumter. Animal Control does not know how those horses died.
It's believed some of the confiscated horses were owned by the Trexlers in Georgia. There, Terry and Hazel also have more than two dozen outstanding warrants.
"These animals disappeared from the state of Georgia. We've been in contact with them and believe some of the animals we've received were quarantined in Georgia," says Michelle Hart of the Humane Society.
Hart tried documenting what she saw on the Trexler's farm. She says Terry and Hazel walked up to her, tried taking her camera and then told her to leave. But then, she says, Terry wouldn't let her.
"While she was walking back across there, Mr. Trexler drove his pickup truck around, parked it behind her vehicle and detained her there ... refusing to let her leave."
For that, Terry faces charges of kidnapping. Both he and his mother are also charged with the ill-treatment of nearly 30 animals.
James Trexler faces far fewer charges and claims he didn't own any of the horses or the properties they were found on. He's been suspended from his post without pay, but he's out of jail Thursday night. His brother and mother are still being held.
According to officials in Georgia, Hazel and Terry Trexler have been charged with a combined 61 counts of animal cruelty.
"The News and Farmer" newspaper sent us pictures Thursday. The newspaper says they were taken on the Trexlers' property in Jefferson County. They show several horses with ribs showing and poorly-kept coats. We also found pictures of a dead horse on the property.
Georgia investigators say the animals have since been moved out of the state.
Terry Trexler has a substantial arrest record and several run-ins with the State Supreme Court. As for James, we went to our own archives and found one questionable episode that brought attention from police.
Jim Trexler has worked for the State of South Carolina for half of his 48 years. Five years ago, he joined the State Agriculture Department, rising to the post of Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture - responsibilities that included budgeting, procurement and information technology.
But since his arrest on five counts of mistreating animals, Trexler has been suspended without pay.
Trexler's brother - a former attorney in Sumter - has a more troubled past. In 1997, the State Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Terry Trexler after he was named in complaints from two clients.
The following year the court suspended him. Then in 2001, the high court stripped Trexler of his law license. The court said Trexler had mishandled the cases of at least two dozen clients.
By then, Trexler had begun compiling a criminal record. The State Law Enforcement Division says charges against Terry Trexler include multiple counts of breach of trust, blackmail and conspiracy.
A few years ago, Terry Trexler was also named in a federal lawsuit filed by a man who hired Trexler in a divorce case. That client, a veteran Air Force fighter pilot, says the now-45-year-old Trexler swindled him out of his house in Sumter.
Jim Trexler has no criminal record. But in 1993, a man named Jim Trexler and identified as a State Budget and Control Board employee appeared before a judge in Columbia on charges of assault and battery with intent to kill and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Police said the suspect had fired several gunshots during a fight with another man at a St. Andrews apartment complex.
A Budget and Control spokesman confirms Jim Trexler was an employee with that agency.
The Jim Trexler arrested in 1993 had no prior arrests and he told WIS News 10 at the time he hoped to go through pre-trial intervention to clear his record.
We've found no indication of any criminal background for Hazelene Trexler - mother of James and Terry.
Additionally, we're following the fate of the horses confiscated in South Carolina. WIS News 10 sent Drew Stewart to learn more about what will happen to those animals.
It's a scene veterinarian Dr. Michael Privett sees all too often. "We'll see cases with the Humane Society periodically, every year or two. But this type of condition is not that unusual, but on a smaller scale."
In these horses, Sheriff Lott says there were also inflictions could have caused lameness and halters growing into the faces of the horses.
The horses in question this week were confiscated earlier in the week by the Humane Society. They were brought to Dr. Privett's Richland County farm for evaluation and diagnosis. He says they need "de-worming. But mainly deworming and feeding them properly."
But more often, Privett sees cases where the owners just don't understand how to take care of their horses. "I'll run across situations where the owners were feeding the horses pine straw and Cheerios, and they thought that was the right thing to do."
Another problem is owners who run out of money to care for their horses. Privett estimates a cost of around $2,500 annually to feed a horse properly. He says the horses are often the first neglected when the owner gets into financial troubles.
Dr. Privett uses a one to 10 scale, with 10 being an overweight horse and five being optimal. The horse WIS News 10 saw got a one rating, but the good news is that with care and proper feeding, the horse can be rehabilitated.
Privett estimates it could take from three to five months. "I don't think we'll have a lot of trouble bringing these horses back. This one behind me is one of the worst, but I don't think she's too far gone that with proper feeding we can't bring her back. She's still energetic and interested in feeding."
But often, the best way to solve the problem of a malnourished horse is teaching the owner. "The owners will call us out, and it's just a matter of education," says Dr. Privett.
Previous stories:
Reported by Drew Stewart & Jack Kuenzie
Posted by Chantelle Janelle
Copyright 2008 Raycom Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
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