Missouri man charged with abuse in horse’s death

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – A 40-year-old northwest Missouri man accused of ramming a horse to death with his truck has been charged with animal abuse.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports Michael Ebrecht of Quitman, Missouri, was charged Tuesday with felony animal abuse in connection with the horse’s death Saturday in Nodaway County.

Court records show Ebrecht is accused of striking the horse with a truck, causing the horse to be thrown about 40 feet. Authorities say Ebrecht then struck the horse again before running over the horse, killing it.

Nodaway County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rice says he filed the charge because the crime was “so malicious and upsetting.”

Online court records don’t list a lawyer for Ebrecht, who has denied witness accounts that his children were with him when the horse was killed.

This story was originally published July 30, 2014 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Missouri man charged with abuse in horse’s death."