FULTON COUNTY, Ga. -- A Fulton County man who was already facing charges for allegedly starving several horses was able to take on more horses, and now he's accused of neglecting them, too.
Last July, Brandon Fulton was accused of neglect after four horses were found dead on his property on Butner Road. Eight others were found alive, but seriously malnourished. Authorities arrested Fulton and charged him with felony animal cruelty.
A judge agreed to grant bond to the 35-year-old self-described horse trainer as long as he surrendered all of his animals. But now, four more horses have been removed from under Fulton’s care after Fulton County Animal Control investigators received citizen complaints about neglect.
Officer Jay Fulmer with Animal Control responded to the scene Thursday and issued four citations to Fulton after he found one horse tied to a trailer near the road and three others on the property.
“The most concerning part for me is that they didn’t have access to water,” Fulmer told 11Alive’s Duffie Dixon. “The department of agriculture has stated to us that they need to have access to water 24/7.”
But Fulton’s attorney Musa Ghanayem called those allegations bogus: “He didn't do that,” he told 11Alive.
“It’s outrageous because there's a creek right on his 23 acres,” Ghanayem said. “The horses are able to go there freely and that's aside from the water he provides for them. So much so that horses from the neighbors' yard will come and drink from that creek.”
But Animal Control officials disagree, saying they’ve received constant calls about the horses not having food or water or that they're tied up.
Fulton's attorney believes those calls are all from a small group of neighbors who either aren't aware or aren't interested of Fulton's dream to turn the property into stables and riding facility, despite code enforcement officers who have cited him for everything from debris to improper building of these sheds and this wall.
“A neighborhood can really create a problem for an individual that's not desired to be there,” Ghanayem said. “He's trying to build something there. Perhaps they’re not happy with the speed or perhaps they don't have the patience.”
The felony animal cruelty case against Fulton is still making its way through the court system. Meanwhile, he's due in court March 15 on the latest citations, where Animal Control plans to ask a judge to ban him from owning any animals.
Fulton's attorney said they will fight that.
