McConnell pleads guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
It carries a max sentence of five years.
Better than nothing, I guess…
in the federal pen thats just a vacation,ask Martha
No mention of sentencing. Wonder when that will be.
Hopefully the date of sentence was announced in court, and since he was there, the Preacher will tell us.
Don’t know if this applies to this case, but having served on jury duty twice for criminal trials, usually sentencing follows within a day or two, although I have seen it done the following week, depending on a judge’s discretion.
Thanks bludejavu. Part of me wants sooner, but having it out here and there being discussed may not be a bad thing either, if that would have any affect on the sentence.
I think we’re gonna have to wait for tomorrow’s Times Free Press.
A reporter onsite tweeted that the (new) plea bargain will not even be accepted until Sept. 10. I don’t know if that will be the day of the sentencing hearing or whether there will be yet another sentencing hearing after that.
US District Court’s records are online but not usually until the next day. I’ll have a search tomorrow & see if I find anything.
[QUOTE=SmartAlex;6330136]
If this turns into a “ban all pads and action devices” you had better believe our dog is in the fight. In fact, if PETA, HSUS and FOSH, get “all pads” banned because they are a vehicle for soring (pressure shoeing) then every discipline that shows horses with pads, no matter how thin or theraputic, is going to be affected.[/QUOTE]
^^THIS^^ I’ve read 37 pages over the last few days because I, like anyone I know, am appalled at the soring and abuse of BL horses. Personally I can only think of two TWH that I’ve met in my entire lifetime (one was a 4-H horse and the other a trail horse) so I really do have “no dog in this fight” (and I’d like to keep it that way). What concerns me is that TWH owners SEEM to want other horse owners to sign a none breed specific petition to clean up their mess and if we question how it’s going to effect OUR horses we are horrible uncaring people who condone abuse and are told our views are off topic. The all-or-nothing attitude and the hostility of many of the TWH owners has done nothing to win me over to their cause, I was far more in their camp before the “attitude” surfaced. One poster (no, I’m not going back over 37 pages to find the exact quote) openly stated that she didn’t care who else it effected as long as BL is done away with. What a selfish attitude. I have a daughter who I would like to see enjoy horses the rest of her life and hopefully some day I’ll have horse-loving grandchildren. Alienating other horse owners is counter productive. 
I could be WAY off base but it seems that passing a law banning Big Lick (similar to outlawing dog fighting, etc.) would be a starting point that would knock the Good Ol’ Boys out of power and then start mopping up the remaining mess after you take out the biggest offenders. JMHO.
Before putting on my flame suit (because I’m a weenie and very rarely post anything controversial for that reason), I’d like to once again state that I AM TOTALLY OPPOSED TO BIG LICK IN ANYWAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! Zipping up flame suit and preparing for the onslaught of hateful posts because I won’t blindly jump on the band wagon… :sadsmile:
[QUOTE=Miichelle;6330360]
^^I could be WAY off base but it seems that passing a law banning Big Lick (similar to outlawing dog fighting, etc.) would be a starting point that would knock the Good Ol’ Boys out of power and then start mopping up the remaining mess after you take out the biggest offenders. JMHO.
[/QUOTE].
I agree with this.
The National Celebration/TWHBEA has/have become a national embarrassment. It’s just time the Big Lick go-away. These horses are suffering no matter how they do it.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/mar/02/four-more-men-indicted-federal-grand-jury-horse-ab/
this makes 7
Barney Davis and 2 others (no names given)
McConnell,Mays,Abernathy and Dockery
is this not speaking, yelling at the Celebration BoD also the Trainers Assoc. clean-up your business or the law will.
can’t Bedford County Chamber of Commerce see the writing on the wall. the law is here and we the people are watching.
this is not going away
Defendants likely to get probation…
headdesk
headdesk
headdesk
McConnell was hale and hearty enough to beat the living sh*t out of a horse with a BASEBALL BAT - make him do his time!
I despair, I really do.
Miichelle - I think it would impossible to ban pads. They can be therapeutic, cushioning and if a reasonble height/weight i personally do not see a problem with them. In the TWH vernacular “pads or padded(stacks)” does not mean pad. It refers to the whole mountain of crap they nail to the hoof. TWH Padded horse = horse wearing the stack.
Since the HPA addresses gaited horses, adding a ban of “pads” refers to the stacks - not a single pad of reasonable (to be determined) height and weight.
I mean really now if it the intent was a nationwide ban of pads for all breeds/disciplines there would be army of ticked off people whose farriers apply them safely (height/weight) and therapeutically. Not gonna happen.
I took in a standardbred once whose hooves were a mess - he had been turned out and had lost his heels. We used varying degree angle pads on him to help him get to the right angle until his heels grew back. I would not have been able to continue his track work without helping him out.
I think you make a truly valid point. Clean up that mess and see what is left when you’re done.
Makes sense, which is probably why it won’t happen that way.
Sheilah
[QUOTE=Miichelle;6330360]
^^THIS^^ I’ve read 37 pages over the last few days because I, like anyone I know, am appalled at the soring and abuse of BL horses. Personally I can only think of two TWH that I’ve met in my entire lifetime (one was a 4-H horse and the other a trail horse) so I really do have “no dog in this fight” (and I’d like to keep it that way). What concerns me is that TWH owners SEEM to want other horse owners to sign a none breed specific petition to clean up their mess and if we question how it’s going to effect OUR horses we are horrible uncaring people who condone abuse and are told our views are off topic. The all-or-nothing attitude and the hostility of many of the TWH owners has done nothing to win me over to their cause, I was far more in their camp before the “attitude” surfaced. One poster (no, I’m not going back over 37 pages to find the exact quote) openly stated that she didn’t care who else it effected as long as BL is done away with. What a selfish attitude. I have a daughter who I would like to see enjoy horses the rest of her life and hopefully some day I’ll have horse-loving grandchildren. Alienating other horse owners is counter productive.
I could be WAY off base but it seems that passing a law banning Big Lick (similar to outlawing dog fighting, etc.) would be a starting point that would knock the Good Ol’ Boys out of power and then start mopping up the remaining mess after you take out the biggest offenders. JMHO.
Before putting on my flame suit (because I’m a weenie and very rarely post anything controversial for that reason), I’d like to once again state that I AM TOTALLY OPPOSED TO BIG LICK IN ANYWAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! Zipping up flame suit and preparing for the onslaught of hateful posts because I won’t blindly jump on the band wagon… :sadsmile:[/QUOTE]
It was me and I still stand by what I said. I am so sick to death of folks in all disciplines turning a blind eye to the abuses that go on in the name of glory, status quo etc. I’ve been appalled at horse shows that these things seem to be commonplace and old hats just walk on by or fear for your well-being as a whistle blower.
If we ALL don’t step up and scream “we’re not gonna take it anymore” we are going to have a problem. As it stands I see the BL as opening a huge can of worms for everyone. The poster boy du jour if you will. Get rid of it but don’t b e so naive to think there won’t be some collateral damage. I’m willing to give up something to just to make it stop.
If we don’t make the changes from within someone will do it for us. Is that really what everyone wants? Change is always painful. How painful? is up to ALL horse owners.
[B]THE HPA DOES NOT…DOES NOT…DOES NOT ADDRESS GAITED HORSES. IT ADDRESSES HORSES. JUST HORSES. NOT BREEDS OF HORSES NOR TYPES OF HORSES NOR ANY TYPE OF MODIFIED HORSES. IT JUST ADDRESSES HORSES.
IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME THEN READ THE BLOODY STATUTE!!![/B]
G.
FRUSTRATED BY AMERICA’S INABILITY TO READ (MUCH LESS READ FOR COMPREHENSION)
i wonder if this makes Dockery the fall guy. i read that McConnell gets 5yrs could be probation,(big deal) he’s the one that got Dockery his training lic.
Mays get 1yr along with Abernathy. but Dockery still faces 52 counts unless a plea has come into play.
either way someone is going to take the fall for Jackie McConnell it may even be more TWH horses. he will have a horse in the celebration unless the owners of the TWH ban him. i can wish.
has the trainers Assoc revoked Dockery’s lic. banned him from showing
RE: McConnell and cronies.
Due to his age prosecutors have recommended probation and the guideline range for he, Abernathy and Mays is zero to six months.
Are you kidding me ? Im older than him. Maybe i should move down to TN, commit a felonly (hopefully a lucrative one) and know i will just get probation
[QUOTE=Guilherme;6330601]
[B]THE HPA DOES NOT…DOES NOT…DOES NOT ADDRESS GAITED HORSES. IT ADDRESSES HORSES. JUST HORSES. NOT BREEDS OF HORSES NOR TYPES OF HORSES NOR ANY TYPE OF MODIFIED HORSES. IT JUST ADDRESSES HORSES.
IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME THEN READ THE BLOODY STATUTE!!![/B]
G.
FRUSTRATED BY AMERICA’S INABILITY TO READ (MUCH LESS READ FOR COMPREHENSION)[/QUOTE]
Okay it addresses sored horses. What horses are sored in the ways spelled out other than gaited horses ?
[QUOTE=carolprudm;6330213]
At one point thermographic imaging was proposed to increase the objectivity of examinations. It would also negate the practice of stewarding. Thermographic images can also be made a part of the horse’s records. Any idea why its use is not more widespread?
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/hp/downloads/thermography_presentation.pdf[/QUOTE]
Thermography only tells you one thing: differences in temperature in objects and between adjacent objects.
There’s more than one kind of “thermography.”
The most common is “combat thermography” where heat is used to target objects for missles, bombs, or sniper fire.
“Therepudic thermography” is much more difficult to use.
First, you must have a “base line scan” to dertermine what is or is not normal for any given animal. In this it’s similar to EKGs where a base line scan is necessary to determine “normal.”
Second, you have to have a fairly “clean” environment for thermogrpahy with a forensic level of accuracy to be reliable. Most DQP stations lack that level of “cleanliness.”
Third, a temperature differential must analyzed by somebody who knows how to read the scan. In this it’s like reading X-rays or CT Scans or ultrasonography or other sophisticated imagery. It’s not something you can teach in a weekend.
These are at least three of the reasons you don’t see it in widespread use. Maybe cost would be number four.
G.
THANK YOU, GUILHERME!!! I stand by what I posted. My spelling may suck but my reading comprehension is pretty darn good. “Pads” may mean something else in the TWH circle but that’s NOT what the petition is saying & HPA is NOT breed specific.
