Cross-posted from Colorado Spring Gazette
by Dave Philipps
Tom Davis has not been charged nor investigated
Two state agencies dropped the ball when it came to prosecuting a southern Colorado wild horse buyer who admitted to breaking state laws while shipping hundreds of federally protected wild horses.
The buyer, Tom Davis of La Jara, has not been charged nor investigated. The two state agencies involved blame each other, saying there is “confusion” and “a disconnect” about who should head an investigation.
A ProPublica report published in The Gazette in September detailed how Davis, a proponent of horse slaughter, purchased truckload after truckload of wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management. Davis said he then shipped the horses to what he called “good homes” all over the country. None of the horses have been accounted for. Wild horse advocates believe they illegally went to slaughter. Davis denies this.
Colorado law requires a state brand inspection when livestock is sold or shipped more than 75 miles. Brand records show Davis received more than 1,700 horses from the BLM, but shipped only 765. None of the horses are still in his possession, meaning almost 1,000 were shipped or sold without an inspection.
Davis admitted as much to ProPublica, saying he did not want brand inspectors to know where the horses were going. When the reporter suggested that was illegal, Davis replied, “Since when is anything in this country done legal?”
Each violation of the brand law is misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
After the report was published, the Department of Interior and the Colorado brand inspection office said they would investigate Davis.
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/state-153122-wild-buyer.html#ixzz2QCqerjUK
Tuesday's Horse 
Wow. Life in a nutshell in the western states. If it wasn’t a law 200 years ago, why obey one or enforce it now? Makes me sick.
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“Since when is anything in this country done legal?” Kind of like admitting guilt, in my opinion. The horses are being ravaged left and right…
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well sounds like some one has stinky fingers …our officials recv kick back money from these horses and the blm i used to like but they are just as corrupt. they make a adopter jump through hoops to get one of these horses but hire horrible people to gather them. so some one charge this man with the crimes hes commited. or you are sending messg’s as the law has before its ok to break the law when it comes to wild horses but God forbid some one kill a grizzly bear in montana even if it staulking you. you ll have the feds so far up your ass you ll loose everything. i cant understand why they spend millions of tax payers money to watch bears goats wolves in our state but no one wants the WILD horses thats screwed up and people want them let alone we want to drive out and see them ..but the goverment is making money off them so alot of lined pockets along the way. i wish someone who has some balls and clout in this country would blow this whole thing wide open. come on i know there is several celeb’s out there that can help ….. where are you
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We need to take advantage of the Political Capital that we have, and speak loudly against those who seem to have no courage when it comes to animals. President Obama has just issued a budget (with all of the problems involved with the thousands of decisions that must be made) which has denied any USDA funding for Horse Slaughter Inspections. This is a political stance for the Administration, and we need to say thanks to the Administration, and build on this victory.. Say thanks when you call the White House, and ask that it be carried further to a push to get the SAFE Acts to the floors of the House and Senate for a vote…
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So if Tom Davis is able to “disappear 1700+ horses without inspections by the BLM, why the hell did I just have to have the BLM guy out to inspect 3 untitled BLM coming yearlings to make sure I had taken care of them? Whats up with that? I only had 3 and I get treated like I might be someone who wouldn’t take care of the horses when I’ve adopted a lot of horses over the past 20 years, but Tom Davis is above the law in several ways?
From now on, I guess I’ll just point to the lack of scrutiny with Tom Davis and the BLM and tell the BLM to send me the Title/s without sending someone out to look at the horses, because if Tom Davis doesn’t have to account for where horses are at and have them inspected, why the hell should I have to jump through the hoops?
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Because Laura you dont have stinky fingers .im sure some one elses pockets got lined by all those horses shipping and you wouldnt have done that. they make adopters jump through hoops just to get one but hire thugs and killers and criminals to collect them they dont want honest good horse loving people they wants creeps and evil money hungry Demons
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Laura, I think Tom Davis is/was the BLM’s scapegoat ….. they know/knew what he was doing. The BLM’s so called ‘policy’ went out the window big time when dealing with Tom Davis. He got ‘rid’ of horses for them…plain & simple! My God look at the numbers he took in or had ‘delivered’ by the BLM???
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What is needed is anti-cruelty laws like they have in Alaska. If you commit cruelty to a animal it is a felony the first time you do it. Every state needs laws just like this. If this was the case you wouldn’t find nearly as many starving animals as is found now. With a felony you would be headed for jail.
This Davis should be arrested for committing fraud. Every one of the horses were slaughtered and the BLM knows it.
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We are fighting for those laws, but instead the Republicans are supporting AG-GAG laws which make it a crime to document cruelty.. Thanks goodness the President has taken USDA Inspection of Horse Slaughter out of his budget. Now we must see that is the way that it stays. Of course the Republicans are all about letting them inspect dead horses. Except for a very few. Lets get behind the lawmakers that will support anti-cruelty laws.
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Tom Davis shipped federally protected horses without proper inspections. Why wouldn’t the feds investigate this but instead leave it to bumbling agencies in cahoots with each other? This must have happened countless times. It’s time for advocates to take this up.
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And why is there a date past which this cannot be investigated? sounds like BS to me.
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Yup, this is just so like much of our law inforcement officials in this country when it comes to animal’s it’s like they JUST don’t want to bother with it!?!?! Oh my god, I mean I just read where somebody had a bunch of neglected starving horses on her property again and this was the SECOND time WHY DID SHE GET a SECOND TIME, SEE THAT is what needs to be fixed the laws reguarding animal cruelity, no one should be able to have ANY animal after an accused violation PERIOD!! Then we would stop seeing this but it continues over and over!!! Like a child abuser oh but it only happened once we’ll give you another chance WHAT?????? Just like BLM and TOM DAVIS, just let it go it might go away, so criminal in itself!!! I can’t help but be so very angry!!! Oh my god makes me sick to death !!!!?? OH but buy the way horse slaughter is the answer that is so screwed up and disgusting unreal………
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I am just furious..
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