News Flash

Goochland County Department of Animal Care and Protection is pleased to announce the conclusion of a significant animal cruelty case that the Department opened in February 2023. After a hotline tip reported several emaciated horses at a property in the western part of the county, the Department visited the property and immediately opened an investigation. Officers from the Department noticed multiple thin horses at the property of Byrd Rareshide. After prompt communication with the State Veterinarian’s Office and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, in the early days of February 2023 the Department assisted in and monitored the removal of 18 horses by their respective owners and agents. By the fall of 2023, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office charged Ms. Rareshide with thirteen counts of animal cruelty.

Earlier this year, in April, Ms. Rareshide’s cases were heard in Goochland Circuit Court in a three-day trial. At the end of the third day, the court found her guilty in 5 of the cases. Today, May 24th, the court sentenced Ms. Rareshide to 12 months in jail on each charge and suspended all but 20 days of the jail sentence on each charge. The total sentence imposed is 100 days in jail. Ms. Rareshide is also barred from boarding other’s horses for 5 years, and she is subject to inspections of her property by the Department of Animal Care and Protection, the Goochland County Sheriff's Office, and the State Veterinarian.

Department Director Job Greene said, “The Department thanks Commonwealth’s Attorney John Lumpkins for his diligent work on this complex case in the last several months. I am also grateful for the community’s involvement. Many suffering animals were saved from further suffering because of a phone call and follow-up communication which led to many people acting quickly to rescue the horses.”

“This was a difficult case. Many dedicated people, including owners scattered around the country, participated in this effort, and made this outcome possible”, said John L Lumpkins Jr., Goochland’s Commonwealth’s Attorney. He added, “I am especially appreciative of the many veterinarians who testified. Michelle Welch, Senior Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Director of the AG’s Animal Law Unit, was also a generous resource for my office. I am thankful for an outcome that reduces the risk of Ms. Rareshide re-offending in the future.”