ST. CLOUD, Fla. — A woman who works as a Disney security guard was arrested Saturday on animal cruelty charges after animal control officers found six dead and four malnourished horses on two separate properties.



Osceola County deputies arrested Melissa Marie Payne, 55, of St. Cloud after a well-being check on Leon Tyson Road. Animal control officers said that they found four malnourished horses with severe skin infections and no housing or food.



Officers said the only source of water was a pond near an overgrown field on the back of the property.



A veterinarian examined the horses and said they were underweight and had rain rot. He also determined that their conditions were due to lack of care over a period of time. The horses were placed in the care of the Osceola County Animal Control Department, deputies said.



Deputies said they found six dead horses, which they discovered also belonged to Payne, on a property on Thompkins Drive. The owner of the property had moved out of state and allowed Payne to keep her horses on the property for a monthly rent, according to authorities.