SEQUOYAH COUNTY (KFSM) — A former horse trainer has been found guilty of animal cruelty and will spend several years in prison.
Robert Howard Dimitt, 57, was found guilty Thursday (March 23) of five counts of felony cruelty to animals. Initially facing 25 years, Dimitt was sentenced to five years in a state prison, followed by 20 years suspended with probation on the condition that he will not be able to train and be around any horses, according to the Sequoyah County District Attorney's Office.
Each charge was punishable by a maximum of five years, according to the Attorney's Office.
Witness, Brett Northan said he came forward to speak for the animals.
"You can't describe it," Northan said. "People who are not horse people can never get a handle on it. We just try to speak for the [horses] because they can't speak."
Dimitt abused several horses that were in his care. The horses had been starved, mutilated and burned, and their feet and hooves were cut, an affidavit states.
As a result, three of the horses died as a result of being in his care, according to court documents.
While deputies of the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office investigated the matter at Dimitt's residence, they found that gasoline had been poured on a dead horse's carcass.
"These horses were in his care," Northan said. "They had no choice. They were drugged, mutilated, carved on and for what reason? When you send your horse to a trainer, you do that under the assumption that they're going to be trained, taken care of, and a vet called if needed."
The horses were valuable. One was valued at $1 million, the affidavit states.
"The monetary loss is easily millions," Northan said. "The emotional loss has been countless, endless, sleepless hours. People who aren't horse people or animal people will never understand the pain and distress that you see in these animal's eyes and their hearts."
Northan said Dimitt deserves jail time and said there is no excuse for what the horses went through.
"They didn't die quick deaths," Northan said. "They died long, agonizing, miserable deaths."
Northan warns animal owners to be careful when hiring a trainer.
"Make sure your trainer has a license," Northan said. "Check up on them and don't take anything for granted. Go and look at it yourself."
Dimitt was initially arrested Aug. 3, 2015, but released on a $25,000 bond. He was taken to the Sequoyah County Jail Thursday following sentencing to await being taken to a state prison.