East Bay man sentenced in Petaluma horse abuse case

An East Bay man was sentenced Thursday for abandoning an injured and emaciated horse along a country road in Petaluma.|

An East Bay man was sentenced Thursday for abandoning an injured and emaciated horse along a country road in Petaluma.

Jonathan Garcia, 37, of Pinole received six months in jail with the possibility of work release or electronic home confinement, and three years probation during which he may not own a horse.

He also was ordered to pay more than $4,000 in restitution to animal advocates and the county to cover veterinary costs for the horse, Jerome, who was nursed back to health and has since been adopted by a Bodega Bay woman.

Garcia remains free on bail pending his January turn-in date.

The more than 25-year-old Appaloosa was abandoned in July 2015, not far from speeding traffic on Lakeville Highway. He was malnourished and had a roofing nail lodged in his hoof.

A woman walking her dog in the area spotted him being let out of a horse trailer. An investigation led to Garcia, a handyman, who pleaded no contest to felony animal abuse and misdemeanor abandonment.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.

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