Today in Queen Anne’s County District Court, Marsha Parkinson, owner of the Eastern Shore Polish Arabian breeding farm Canterbury, pled no contest to 10 counts of misdemeanor neglect. Parkinson faced 133 counts of neglect after 140 horses were seized from her Centerville farm on April 29, 2011. Parkinson and the state of Maryland have entered into a plea agreement concerning the remaining counts.
http://www.bkglawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DOC_20120227_ParkinsonPlea.pdf
Under the agreement, the State dismissed 123 counts, and Ms. Parkinson pled “no contest” to 10 counts
of “failing to provide adequate shelter.” The court struck all ten counts and entered a probation before
judgment, which is not a conviction on any of the counts. Ms. Parkinson will eventually apply to the
court to expunge the record of the 10 misdemeanor counts not dismissed. Under the agreement, Animal
Control must return over 60 of her horses, selected by Ms. Parkinson, to Canterbury Farm.
I believe you missed the more important facts where the 133 counts of Animal Neglect were dropped by the court, and how the judge declined to accept the ten counts of not providing adequate shelter – those charges will be expunged.
Mrs Parkinson has been found innocent, and her horses are coming home!
This case is receiving America wide study as it now removes the Heneke score from ANY rescue. Of course your group have been biased from the start and the judge did toss out the ten accounts of “lack of shelter”. Read the letter from Dr. Heneke where he explains his reasoning for stating the corruption in the DEFHR and HSUS use of HIS scoring which was NEVER developed for rescue. His letter plus the falsified information presented by DEFHR was paramount in the decision of the prosecutor to suggest a plea. Ms. Parkinson was willing to go full term if needed AND ALL CHARGES WERE DROPPED … This is a precident setting case.
Congratulations to Marsha Parkinson!
And may God be with any animal in her care! What a freaking idiot.
‘ the judge declined to accept the ten counts of not providing adequate shelter – those charges will be expunged.’
Until I see this verified by someone involved in the case, this is a rumor that has no basis.
hopefuly, the comments from Dr heneke will give pause to over zealous “rescue Nazis” re any future bogus siezures. I hope she is able to sue the bejesus out of someone
Angela Freda, I see you are concerned with getting credible verification of the ten counts of inadequate shelter actually being dropped by the judge.
Bravo! Verification is the basis for arriving at any intelligent conclusion.
I’m sure you were just as concerned over whether or not the media blitz ginned up by DEFHR, and all those involved, was legitimate as well…
Here’s a link to photos of horses illegally confiscated from Cantebury Farms in April. Do you feel these horses were in need of intervention…
http://www.bkglawfirm.com/2012/02/horse-photos-from-the-day-of-the-seizure-at-marsha-parkinsons-farm/
Interestingly, the pictures posted on the Internet by the seizing groups did not have any accompanying identification, thus making them suspect from the get-go. These pictures have the ID factors necessary to create a correct and acceptable chain of evidence.
Did anyone see the pics of these poor horses!? Or are you blind?
No one thinks of the horses first! And the courts were paid off!!!
She never took care of her horses..she lived out in California and she paid Dr. Heneke and the courts off obviously!!!
She was not exonerated. If she had been exonerated and found not guilty, she would have gotten ALL the horses back. And she sure would not be required to put up with surprise inspections from the very same agency that she and her surrogates have accused (variously) of 1. a land grab, 2. a theft of “high dollar” horses at the behest of jealous fellow breeders 3. stupidity.
For Marsha Parkinson, Leo Maxwell and the various loons that flocked to her internet defense to say that she has been found “innocent” or “not guilty” is ridiculous. Her no contest plea was accepted by the court. She will get back less than half of the horses that were seized and she must submit to site inspections to verify that the horses that are returned don’t fall back into the same state they were in when they were seized. They don’t put requirements and benchmark behaviors on innocent people.
But it sure looks like Leo and his merry band of internet detectives were worried enough about the outcome to call THIS a victory. Call it what it is: a court supervising someone who has proven they can’t adequately care for the animals in her care and control.
‘Here’s a link to photos of horses illegally confiscated from Cantebury Farms in April. Do you feel these horses were in need of intervention…
http://www.bkglawfirm.com/2012/02/horse-photos-from-the-day-of-the-seizure-at-marsha-parkinsons-farm/‘
I see 6 horses, where are the other 127 horses photos? I would assume her lawyers have pictures of all of them. That they only feature 6 is telling.
‘Interestingly, the pictures posted on the Internet by the seizing groups did not have any accompanying identification, thus making them suspect from the get-go. These pictures have the ID factors necessary to create a correct and acceptable chain of evidence.’
Ms Parkinsons herself has been to the rescues, confirmed the horses they had are hers, so I think I will take her word for it. Thanks.
I saw a few dozen photos of the Canterbury horses and the horses were walking skeletons. Her lawyers posted the few horses on their site that looked fine. That is a lawyer for you, clever, manipulating and sly. Criminal lawyers are just like the scum clients they represent, only they have a law degree. When they take a case, it becomes a game to them. They find a way to turn their lying clients story and words around. Parkinson is getting some of her horses back but not all of them. Why didn’t her lawyers put the pictures on their site that shows the several horses that were emaciated and had to be put down. Thank you Days End Farm and all the legitimate horse rescues out there who helped. Sincerely, Angela Klinger