Bona Found Guilty

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Created on Thursday, 20 November 2014 22:39

Written by Kendra Carter

ST. JOHNSBURY - After a turbulent nine months, Bruce Bona has been found guilty on seventeen counts of animal cruelty towards his family’s horses.

The Caledonia County Sheriff’s Department started investigating the rancher, who inherited the Bona Ranch from his late father a few months earlier, in February of this year. On February 28th, a concerned individual called the Sheriff’s Department, claiming to have seen a dead horse on the property.

Deputy Adam Bergeron arrived on scene March 1st, and what he saw was deeply disturbing. Also on hand was Patricia Mitchell of the Elizabeth Brown Humane Society, who described what she saw as a "concentration camp for horses."

"They were eating their own manure, they were chewing on fences, there was no hay available for them and there was no sign of water, but they were so emaciated, so starved for food and water, that even if they were going to slaughter, they would have rather gone there than to live in the position the were in," said Mitchell. 

Bona previously asked to have evidence from the initial investigation suppressed - claiming Deputy Bergeron never presented the search warrant. This request was denied, because legally there was no need for the warrant after Bona verbally relinquished the horses.

Today the prosecution showed photos taken on that March day to the court. The photos depicted the bare-boned horses, and their despicable living conditions. State Attorney Lisa Warren wanted to make sure the jury kept in mind the horror the horses faced.

"These horses were in not good shape in March 2014. They did not have adequate food, they did not have adequate water, and they were suffering. They were emaciated... they were skinny, and they were suffering."
 
The defense called three witnesses to the stand. In his closing arguments, Bona explained why he chose to represent himself.

"I didn't want to sit there while someone else used words that weren't mine. I wanted you to hear my words."

Bona also claimed that Dr. Craig Shannon, the veterinarian working on the case, did not properly examine the horses. According to Bona, it was too dark for a proper examination, that the doctor was swayed by the "fanatic" volunteers that were present, causing the doctor to feel pressured and hurried, and at one point said the veterinarian had worked at the Bona Ranch, but was "discharged because of his conduct."

He also claims those same volunteers "knew how to manipulate people, how to set them up, how to embellish their feelings and testimonies, and they are very convincing."

After hours of deliberation, the jury decided to charge Bona with seventeen of the twenty-one misdemeanor animal abuse charges. A date has yet to be set for the sentencing.