Fall City woman pleads guilty in horse-abuse case

A Fall City woman whose property was littered with dead and dying horses pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court on Thursday to three felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty.

Jean Elledge, 56, faces about a year in jail when sentenced on Oct 17.

According to court documents, Elledge told police that she ran facilities to board and breed horses in Fall City and Monroe. She was arrested by King County sheriff's deputies Feb. 23; the day before she had been arrested by authorities in Snohomish County after they found several horses dead on her property in Monroe.

A veterinarian brought in by King County deputies found four dead horses on the Fall City property and determined that nine other horses needed to be removed from Elledge's care, court papers said. Detectives were unable to find food or drinkable water for the animals, court papers said.

Elledge has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty in Snohomish County and is slated to be tried later this year.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com