Lancaster Woman Ordered to Stand Trial for Abuse of Horses

A 72-year-old woman is scheduled to be arraigned after being held to answer for animal cruelty charges in connection with more than 20 malnourished horses discovered on her property, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Amarilla Blondia said Jessica Porter Warren (dob 8/11/46) of Lancaster faces 10 felony counts of cruelty to an animal as well as one misdemeanor count each of failure to care for an animal, failure to provide shelter and injurious conditions.

Arraignment is scheduled in Department A21 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Antelope Valley Branch.

Officers from the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control responded to a call about a dead horse at Warren’s property in 2018 and discovered the horses in bad condition, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing. Two of the horses died while the authorities were at the property and two more had to be euthanized later, the prosecutor said.

Bail is set at $200,000. If convicted as charged, Warren faces a possible maximum sentence of more than 10 years in jail.

Case MA075387 remains under investigation by the Department of Animal Care and Control.