Governor signs ‘Borell’ law

Gov. Matt Bevin has signed a new law allowing courts to order people convicted of animal cruelty to pay restitution for the upkeep of neglected horses and terminate their ownership of the animals.

“I feel it is the proper way to handle these fees the taxpayers inherit from those that abuse animals and leave the local government to care for them,” said Sen. Tom Buford.

House Bill 200, which was signed into law on March 27, was inspired by the Borell case, in which 43 severely-neglected horses belonging to Charles Borell and his daughter Maria Borell were discovered on a Mercer County farm. The Borells were both charged with 43 counts of 2nd-degree animal cruelty.

To learn more, pick up this week’s issue of The Harrodsburg Herald.