MCSO: Animal Cruelty Suspects Arrested after Throwing Rocks at Horses

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in a press release said it has arrested and charged 20-year-old Lawrence Weinhart and 16-year-old Alexander Halbisen for 1 count of burglary 3rd degree and 2 counts of animal cruelty after surveillance video shows them throwing rocks at and hitting two horses multiple times for almost 30 minutes near North 2nd Way & East Tanya Road in New River.

“Initially, deputies responded to the call for service the morning after the incident and were shown the video of the abuse. In the video, deputies could see the abuse but because of the poor quality of the video were not able to identify the two individuals,” said Sergeant Monica Bretado in a press release. “The case was turned over to animal crimes detectives who responded to the location to gather more information or any possible evidence,” the release continued.

“This is just another great example of community members working with law enforcement on solving crimes,” said Sheriff Paul Penzone in the press release. “Tips from our communities are always an asset to our investigators when solving crimes,” Sheriff Penzone added.

With multiple tips and leads from the public, MCSO detectives were able to identify the two individuals in the video.

This event, although occurred in New River, upset many in Wittmann. The community of Wittmann showed up in support and spread the message across Wittmann groups.

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