After the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a flood of calls reporting five horses in the roadway on Sunday night, the animals were seized and are being cared for. Now the owner is facing charges of cruelty to animals.

At least two of the loose horses appeared emaciated and unkempt, and the five animals had escaped their pen and were walking in the middle of the road. They were picked up by the sheriff’s department and are now being cared for by the Starke County Sheriff’s Posse.

County Prosecutor Nick Bourff says the large commotion created by the concerned citizens who made the calls out of concern for the animals’ well-being is what prompted the sheriff’s department to take action and seize the animals.

Bourff says this is the first time they have filed any charges on the owners of these five animals.