SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -
A woman is facing felony animal abuse charges in connection with a case in which seven horses were found to be severely neglected.
Michelle Meyer Salazar, 51, was arrested and charged with two felony and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty-neglect after turning herself in Tuesday.
Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies found seven severely neglected horses boarded at her ranch in northeast Scottsdale on June 28. They had been looking for her since.
One horse was euthanized that night and two other horses were euthanized after they were taken to a veterinarian's clinic. Four other horses required extensive treatment, according to a court document.
Salazar doesn't own the horses, but they were among 27 that were boarded at her Rio Verde ranch.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Salazar had not fed or cared for the horses in several weeks.
Deputies had been to the property in October and November of 2011and Salazar appeared receptive to recommendations to care for the horses. But she grew increasingly uncooperative in recent months.
Her case was placed on hold until a trainer whose horses were boarded at Salazar's ranch came forward with evidence of abuse, according to a court document.
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