KAUAI HUMANE SOCIETY Two horses were found tangled in their tethers in Hanapepe Valley in July. One strangled itself but this one survived.

Kauai man punished for cruelty to horses

Answer: Richard Corr, 31, of Hanapepe was cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty on July 6 when he and Humane Society officials found two of his horses tangled in their tethers.

The mare appeared to have choked to death when her 20-foot rope got caught between her legs and pinned her to the ground. The male horse was also tangled tight to a tree, unable to reach food or water. He was unharmed.

The two had been left on tethers during the Fourth of July holiday and had apparently been spooked by a neighbor's illegal fireworks and perhaps acetylene bombs, Corr said in July.

On Dec. 5, Corr pleaded no contest to the animal cruelty charge and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service by District Judge Frank Rothschild.

Kauai Humane Society Director Dr. Becky Rhoades, who said she was in the courtroom and was disappointed by the judge's decision, said prosecutors had asked for Corr to receive a $1,000 fine and perform community service.

But she added Judge Rothschild felt that punishing Corr with a fine he could not afford to pay was unwarranted and that community service would better for the public.

Both Rhoades and the judge expressed their concern that it was the second time a horse owned by Corr had died while tethered. During the New Year's holiday last year, another horse of Corr's had died during an illegal fireworks event in Hanapepe Valley.

Corr said in July that he had grown up tethering horses on Kauai his whole life and had never meant to hurt his animals. He also said he would never tether another horse again.