Woman denies she intentionally starved horse

Sarah Woodman faces animal-cruelty charge regarding her horse, Deuce

A New Harbour, Trinity Bay, woman who pleaded guilty to animal-cruelty charges three years ago is asking the court to let her change her plea and go to trial.

Sarah Woodman, 46, testified at her application hearing in provincial court in Harbour Grace on Friday morning, saying she had only pleaded guilty to allowing her horse to starve because she felt she didn't have enough of a case and didn't want to take her chances on getting jail time.

The horse, Deuce, was euthanized in April 2016 after authorities arrived at Woodman's property with a search warrant and charged her with four criminal charges of wilfully causing an animal unnecessary suffering, and a similar violation of the Animal Health and Protection Act.

This is Woodman's second time in court on animal-cruelty charges related to Deuce. She had been charged a couple of years earlier after the horse was found emaciated, but was cleared of the charges after trial. The horse, which had been given to its previous owner and recovered its health, was given back to Woodman in July 2015.

Woodman told the court she had called the provincial vet in April 2016 to attend to a sick calf. She said her former partner had been responsible for taking care of the animals, which, until they broke up a week earlier, she had visited once a week.

Woodman testified the vet immediately pointed to Deuce and said the horse was too thin. After asking for advice on what to feed Deuce, Woodman said, she told the vet she would pick up the supplies in St. John's the following week, and the vet told her she would check back after that. The sick calf was euthanized.

Authorities showed up a few days later and Deuce, reportedly undernourished and in poor condition, was also euthanized.

“I didn't notice anything different about her than she ever was,” Woodman said Friday. “Maybe I didn't do as much as I could have done, but I did not intentionally starve her.”

Woodman said she did not have any reason to suspect her ex-partner was not taking good care of the animals.

Woodman's former lawyer, Patricia Kirby, testified she had explained to Woodman that the consequences of pleading guilty could include jail time. Woodman was prepared to acknowledge she had been reckless in allowing her ex-partner to improperly care for Deuce, Kirby said, and she entered a guilty plea in July 2018. Three months later, Woodman called to say she had reviewed the evidence and had done some internet research that indicated Deuce's weight had been in the acceptable range, Kirby said.

When asked by prosecutor Ashley Targett if she knew why Woodman hadn't done the research earlier, Kirby said no.

Woodman told the court she had always maintained her innocence, but had pleaded guilty because she felt she would have a better chance at getting a lighter sentence.

“I'm ashamed to say I wanted to take the easy way out and not be dragged through another trial,” she testified. “I understood nothing was guaranteed, but I felt I had a better chance.”

“Why not maintain your guilty plea?” defence lawyer Jason Edwards asked.

“Because I've given it a lot of thought and basically I can't plead guilty to something I didn't do,” Woodman replied. “I'm not saying there wasn't anything wrong with the horse, but I do not believe she was starved to death by myself or (my ex-partner).”

Woodman was not able to cite a specific website when asked by Targett where she had gotten the information that Deuce had not been underweight.

“You disagree with the vet's assessment that she was underweight and that's not based on expert opinion but your own research on the internet?” Targett asked.

“Yes, and the fact her weight was always estimated at 1,100 pounds, which was a good weight for her breed and stature,” Woodman replied.

Woodman's acquittal on the original animal-cruelty charges and Deuce's return to her led to swift anger among horse lovers in the community. A Facebook page, “Justice for Deuce,” was established after Woodman was charged the second time, where posters expressed their outrage at the situation and questioned the delay in court proceedings. Some members have attended Woodman's court dates in the past.

Judge Paul Noble will hear closing submissions on the application June 28.