A Morrill County District Court Jury has found the former owner of the 3 Strikes Mustang Ranch south of Alliance guilty on 145 of 149 felony counts of cruel neglect of an animal resulting in injury, illness or death.
43-year-old Jason Meduna is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23 at 2:30 p.m.
The jury returned its verdict Friday night at 9 p.m. after deliberating for five-and-a-half hours.
The week-long trial concluded Friday afternoon with closing arguments.
Defense attorney John Berry stated that Meduna was being accused of destroying his own livelihood by starving the animals and that Meduna's actions were to the contrary. Berry reminded the jury that Meduna had signed over the horses to law enforcement last April because he was worried about their conditions. He also stressed that Meduna believed his animals were being poisoned.
Berry also argued that Meduna couldn't be guilty of cruel neglect of his horses because there was no evidence of Meduna even having left the ranch for one day between November, 2008 and April, 2009.
Prosecutor Jean Rhodes meticulously reviewed the week's worth of testimony against Meduna, which included photos taken of horses removed from the ranch in April that were deathly thin and photos taken of the same animals in August after the animals had received four months of nutrition.
Rhodes stated that Meduna covered up the poor conditions of the ranch, accused neighbors of poisoning his animals, and that Meduna never intended to feed the animals and allowed them to overgraze the rangeland.
Rhodes reminded the jury that five animal doctors offered testimony that the horses were at risk of dying because of the poor condition of their bodies caused by malnutrition.
"Meduna failed to get care for the animals," she said. "He was willing to protect his image at he expense of the horeses and burros."
The Morrill County Sheriff's office confirmed 70 animals were found dead on the ranch, while another 211 were taken to the fairgrounds in Bridgeport in late April for nutrition and medication.
Meduna could receive up to a $10,000 fine and five years in prison on each of the 145 guilty counts.
He remains free on bond.
Morrill County Sheriff John Edens, who played a major role in the rescue operations last April, was pleased with the jury's verdicts.
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