Amanda Oglesby

@OglesbyAPP

JACKSON – The owner of two donkeys whose carcasses were dumped in a Jersey Central Power & Light Co. right-of-way will face four counts of animal cruelty and two abandonment charges, according to the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA).

Jackson's Animal Control Office initially responded to calls about the decaying animals' remains after Jackson police received a call about the carcasses on Dec. 1. Municipal Engineer Daniel Burke, who heads Jackson's Community Development Department and the Animal Control Office, said the NJSPCA was investigating the incident.

Authorities did not release the name of the donkey's owner, but said the owner is a Jackson resident.

One of the donkeys was already dead when it was dragged into the power company's right-of-way, said Matt Stanton, spokesman for the NJSPCA. The other was humanely euthanize by a gunshot wound, which is legal in New Jersey, he said. One was hogtied and the other had a rope around its neck, according to NJSPCA officials.

The charges are the result of an investigation into neglect, Stanton said. The donkeys appeared emaciated, and on inspection of the owner's property, NJSPCA officials found evidence of neglect of horses, he said.

The NJSPCA does not have jurisdiction to issue violations on the movement of the carcasses to the utility right-of-way, Stanton said.

The condition of the owner's horses and their whereabouts were not immediately available.

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Amanda Oglesby: 732-557-5701; aoglesby@app.com