Donald Genthner, the 51-year-old Rockland man accused of causing the deaths of several horses under his care on a Waldoboro farm last fall appeared in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset Aug. 19 for a routine appearance.
Genthner is charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty – four of them felony charges and seven misdemeanors. If convicted, felony animal cruelty carries a maximum of five years in prison and fines up to $10,000.
The hearing was continued until Oct. 28, when he is again scheduled for docket call in Superior Court. The dates for his trial have not been set at this time.
Genthner was arrested in January and is alleged to have caused the death of seven horses and abused four other horses under his care on a Waldoboro farm last fall.
In total, there were 15 horses under Genthner’s care. Along with the bodies of the seven horses, one horse was found in severe pain from malnutrition and an untreated leg problem, Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde said at the time of Genthner’s arrest. At that time, eight horses, including the horse with the leg problem, were alive and all were recovering nicely once they were transferred to new caretakers.
