-- From Times reporter Jennifer Sullivan:

A Covington man accused of letting his horse starve to death and allowing his other barnyard animals to become severely emaciated was sentenced today to six months in jail.

In July, a King County jury found Jake Rider guilty of one count of first-degree animal cruelty, a felony, and 10 misdemeanor counts of second-degree animal cruelty.

King County Animal Control officers showed up at Rider's property, the 26800 block of 156th Place Southeast in Covington, in December 2007 after a neighbor called to report a horse lying in the mud. The woman told investigators that nobody was caring for the animal, according to court charging papers. The horse was still alive, but later died.

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Authorities discovered other malnourished animals on the farm, court papers said. A man who lives in a trailer on Rider's property told investigators that he once fed horses on the property, but was admonished by Rider because he didn't want to pay for hay, charging papers said.

In addition to the jail sentence, Rider was also ordered to not have any animals in his care for seven years.