Wyoming outfitter found not guilty of animal cruelty

A judge has found a Wyoming outfitter not guilty of animal cruelty in his treatment of a horse.

Local News 8 learned Teton County Circuit Court Judge James Radda filed a 16 page verdict on Tuesday, about two weeks after a bench trial was held in Jackson.

Forest Stearns was cited with cruelty to animals by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office last August after a video taken by a neighbor showed one of Stearns’ horses tied to a fencepost and lying on its side, according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

Most arguments during trial centered on how long the horse was tied down and whether that act was cruel and caused the horse’s death.

Radda said in his ruling that testimony didn’t convince him that the horse was tortured.