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Malnourished Horses Found On Creflo Dollar's Property

Posted: 5:04 pm EDT April 14, 2009Updated: 6:40 pm EDT April 14, 2009

The Georgia Department of Agriculture is investigating the treatment of horses on the property of Pastor Creflo Dollar. A Dollar family friend has been cited in the incident.

“You just don’t treat horses like this,” said horse owner, Debi King.

King said it pained her to see the skin and bones on one of her horses -- a horse that was once a champion.

Now the mare is dead after state inspectors said the man who bought the horses from King failed to feed it and several others that were kept on the property of well-known pastor, Creflo Dollar.

SLIDESHOW: Horses Found On Pastor's Property

King sold the horses to Jason Mitchell, a Dollar family friend, after Mitchell said the animals would be kept on the pastor’s property.

“It’s Creflo Dollar. You feel privileged to have horses going to somebody who is well known,” said King.

Records that were obtained by Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Jones indicated Dollar told inspectors he and Mitchell agreed to keep the horses on his property so kids at Dollar’s church could use them for recreation. Soon after, the agriculture department received a complaint about the horse’s poor health.

Records showed the horses had no water, or had dirty water. They weren’t properly fed and that led to their body weights dropping to dangerous levels, according to records.

Mitchell was cited for inhumane treatment of animals.

“Did he kill the horse? In my opinion, yes,” said King.

Mitchell told Jones he had financial problems and couldn’t take care of the horses. He said the horse that died was sick, which is something King disputes.

TOM JONES: Malnourished Horses Found On Creflo Dollar's Property

A spokesperson for Dollar said the horses were owned by Mitchell and on Dollar’s property, but the pastor was not responsible or involved in their care.

W&W Public Relations released a statement of behalf of Dollar that said, “Although the horses owned by Mr. Jason Mitchell were being stabled on Dr. Creflo Dollar’s property, Dr. Dollar was not in any way responsible for or involved with their care.”

King got her horses back. She thinks Dollar should have made sure they were fed.

“I mean, it’s his property,” King said.

Dollar evicted Mitchell from the property.

King said she is angry the state didn’t remove the horses. Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said his office only removes animals as a last resort, partly because it doesn’t have the money or staff to take care of the animals when they’re removed.

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