Authorities in rural Columbia County say a routine vet visit turned into a criminal investigation after a badly injured horse was brought in with wounds that looked like something out of a nightmare.
Court documents identify the horse as Domingo and describe injuries so severe that flesh was exposed around the hooves. Investigators say the wounds were consistent with being dragged behind a pickup, and deputies later confirmed that the horse died. Neighbors told deputies they saw a pickup with an animal tied to its rear, and reported hearing the horse squealing in pain as it was pulled up and down a driveway.
The investigation began on June 4, when a Knappa veterinarian contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and shared photos showing injuries “consistent with being dragged behind a moving motor vehicle” over gravel, asphalt and grass, according to court records. Deputies noted in those documents that Domingo did not have horseshoes and that some hooves were “ground down into the flesh.”
A neighbor told deputies they watched a woman, identified in court paperwork as Jo Marie Westlind, driving an F-150 while a horse tied to the back of the truck was dragged up and down a driveway at least twice. The neighbor said the driver stopped long enough to tell him to “mind his business” before carrying on.
Westlind was later arrested and booked into the Columbia County Jail on two felony counts of first-degree aggravated animal abuse, four counts of first-degree animal abuse and two counts of first-degree animal neglect, according to KATU.
What the charges mean
Under Oregon law, first-degree aggravated animal abuse is a felony that covers intentionally or knowingly torturing an animal or otherwise causing serious physical injury or death. First-degree animal neglect applies when failing to provide minimum care leads to serious injury or death.
The same statutes also give officers authority to enter property to provide emergency care and to impound animals when there is probable cause of cruelty or neglect. Judges can order counseling, education or other conditions in these cases, according to the Oregon Legislature.
Defendant's account and neighbor reports
According to the probable-cause paperwork, the veterinarian told investigators that Westlind offered few details, saying only that there had been an accident, that Domingo had been dragged and that alcohol was involved.
When deputies went to Westlind’s home on June 15, she reportedly told them she “didn’t want to speak to us” but added that “what happened to Domingo was an accident,” according to KATU. Neighbor accounts in the court file describe the incident in stark terms, with witnesses saying they saw the horse dragged multiple times along the driveway.
Broader context in Oregon
The case lands amid a string of high-profile animal cruelty and neglect prosecutions across Oregon. In one recent case, a roadside zoo owner in Bandon pleaded guilty to dozens of neglect charges, and a separate Lane County investigation led to more than 60 horses being removed from a single property, highlighting growing scrutiny of severe animal-welfare violations in the state, as reported by OPB and KLCC.
How to report suspected abuse
Anyone in Columbia County who witnesses or suspects animal cruelty can contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office animal control program or file a complaint through dispatch. The sheriff’s office website lists phone numbers and step-by-step instructions on its animal control page for reporting suspected abuse.
