San Angelo Woman Arrested for Cruelty to a Horse

SAN ANGELO— A San Angelo woman has been arrested for cruelty to livestock when a horse was found on her property in north San Angelo that was sickly and without food.

Crystal Cabrera, 36, of San Angelo, has been arrested for Cruelty to Livestock Animals when a horse was found to be near death.

According to court documents, on December 12, 2023, a Tom Green County Sheriff’s Deputy was sent to do a welfare check on a horse on the 3600 block of Motl Road near the intersection of U.S. 277 and FM 2105.  Cabrera was found on the property as the caretaker of the two horses she took the deputy to. One horse was standing upright, and the other was laying on its right side.

Then the deputy approached the horse that was laying on its side, he observed a visible rib cage, spine, and hip bones. Horse manure was also built up around the base of the horse’s tail. Cabrera said the horse had been laying down since the day before due to “colic” and had not been up since. The horse did attempt to stand up but was unable to do so. The deputy took pictures of the horse’s condition before leaving.

The enclosure had fresh water in all the water containers, but no food or hay was found anywhere on the property. Cabrera was unable to say how she was going to help the horse and had not contacted any veterinarian for assistance.

The deputy went to a veterinarian who is employed at Western Veterinarian Animal Hospital and showed the photographs of the downed horse to get a professional opinion. The vet used the word “cruelty” to describe the horse and its living conditions. She also provided that on a scale of emaciation, the horse was a one on a scale of one to nine with one being the lowest.

Based on the professional opinion and the health and welfare of the sick horse, Cabrera was arrested and booked into the Tom Green County Jail on December 12, 2023, for Cruelty to Livestock. She is currently an inmate being held on $5,000 bond.