A Camp Verde horse owner has been arrested on animal cruelty charges after flooding swept through her property near Grippen Road earlier this month, leaving several horses dead and others unaccounted for. Tatiana Bedrin was taken into custody following an investigation into the condition of the animals during the Nov. 1 flood event.
Responders were called to a property in the Grippen Road area on Nov. 1 after reports that multiple horses were trapped in rapidly rising floodwaters, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The Camp Verde Marshal's Office said four horses were rescued and received veterinary care, three horses were found dead, and four more remained unaccounted for and were presumed dead, the station reported.
According to the same report, the marshal's office said Bedrin reportedly refused multiple offers of assistance from neighbors and emergency personnel who tried to help relocate the horses to higher ground before the water rose. Bedrin was arrested and accused of animal cruelty charges in connection with the horses' deaths and injuries, the station said, and she was expected to have her first court appearance Friday.
Investigation Drew On Witness Accounts And Vet Evaluations
Investigators said their inquiry included witness interviews, statements from emergency responders, veterinary evaluations, and documentation of the conditions in which the horses were discovered, per the station's report. Separately, the Camp Verde Marshal's Office opened an animal abuse investigation into horses reportedly left behind during the flood, according to AZFamily. That report identified the animals as having previously been located on a property along West Grippen Road in Camp Verde, and said Camp Verde Animal Control was gathering evidence as part of the investigation.
Accounts of how many horses were affected vary. Camp Verde resident David Grondin told Verde News that he believed 10 to 13 horses drowned, saying only two survived after firefighters managed to open two gates, though he said he was unsure of the exact count. A separate account from KOLD described residents Heather and Caleb rescuing three horses, five dogs, two people and two chickens from the floodwaters, and said six horses remained missing. It is not established whether these separate counts refer to the same animals described in the marshal's office's tally.
Flooding Hit Camp Verde Hard
The horse rescue effort unfolded amid a broader flooding disaster that hit Camp Verde after Beaver Creek broke its banks. More than 100 homes in Camp Verde were flooded and more than a dozen were completely destroyed, the KOLD report noted. County officials reported 233 homes impacted across the Verde Valley, with official damage assessments still pending, per Verde News.
The flooding prompted evacuation orders for several central Arizona communities, and the American Red Cross established an emergency shelter at the Camp Verde Town Gym, according to AZFamily's earlier coverage of the disaster. At the time, additional rain and rising water levels were expected throughout the Verde Valley, Yahoo News reported. Copper Canyon Fire crews were among those who worked to rescue horses off Grippen Road on Nov. 1, Verde News reported.
What Arizona Law Says About Animal Cruelty
Under Arizona law, a person commits cruelty to animals if they intentionally, knowingly or recklessly subject an animal in their custody or control to cruel neglect or abandonment, according to the Arizona State Legislature. That statutory definition lays out the general standard for such charges but does not establish which specific provision prosecutors may pursue in Bedrin's case or whether its elements will be proven.
The investigation into the horses' deaths and the flood's broader toll on Camp Verde remains ongoing.
