Editor’s Note: Candi Lemarr was acquitted of the charges described in this story. See https://www.nujournal.com/news/local-news/2022/04/02/jury-acquits-horse-trainer/

SLEEPY EYE — A 43-year-old rural Sleepy Eye woman who trained horses faces seven felony counts of perjury and 20 misdemeanor counts of animal mistreatment in Brown County District Court.

Charges were filed March 25 against Candi J. Lemarr, 26731 315th Ave. An arraignment (a formal reading of charges in her presence in which a plea is expected to be entered), was set for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 4.

Two cases allege Lemarr deprived 10 horses of food, water or shelter and lied about dealing with authorities in a civil court case in which she sought the return of the horses.

According to court documents, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a Nov. 21, 2020 phone call requesting a welfare check on horses at Lemarr’s horse farm. The caller said one of Lemarr’s clients sent two horses to Lemarr’s farm earlier in 2020 before Lemarr told the client she could not afford to take care of the horses anymore because she was barely making it, and needed the horses to go, but Lemarr would not allow the client on her property to retrieve her horses.

Lemarr told the client she believed one of the mares of depressed because she was losing weight and that she planned to send the horses back to her because the horses were eating her out of house and home, destroying her stalls, cribbing (obsessive-compulsive, non-lethal, but destructive behavior) and could not put weight on.

Lemarr’s former client said when her three horses were returned to her, they were covered in feces and so thin, their rib cages and hip bones were very visible. A veterinarian diagnosed the horses as emaciated and neglected.

Deputies got a warrant and brought a veterinarian to the horse farm Nov. 23 and found several underweight horses, one very underweight, and stalls that were not cleaned. The veterinarian said there were too many spines and ribs on the horses, and told Lemarr she should not be comfortable allowing people to ride the horses in the condition they were in.

Seven horses were transported to Anoka Equine Veterinarian Services for examination on Nov. 23, 2020, according to court documents.

In her civil case, Lemarr said she was coerced into releasing the animals and that they were well taken care of.

Lemarr testified Dec. 18, 2020, that she was told she had no option but to sign paperwork presented by Brown County authorities, allowing the horses to be released.

According to court documents, at no time was Lemarr told she had to sign the paperwork and that she had no option.

Lemarr was given three forms by Brown County Investigator Jeremy Reed: A Notice of Seizure; Surrender and Release form; and a Request for Hearing or Voluntary Surrender, according to charges.

“I’m going to leave that with you no matter if you want to fill it out now or later,” Reed said to Lemarr, according to court documents.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.