A friend who is a large animal veterinarian contacted the Globe with very disturbing news: “I just sutured the face of a horse attacked by a homeless guy with a hammer. He killed 12 of 15 pet birds in the chicken coop,” she said.
This took place in Sacramento County last week.
“When are we going to do something about the homeless mentally ill drug addled population in sac county?” she asked.
Unfortunately she is correct. This case is a perfect example of untreated drug use and mental health.
The Globe also talked with the owner of the injured horse, and pet chickens and ducks which were killed.
She said she normally she goes out to feed the horses, chickens and ducks by 7:30am, but that morning delayed. “Something in my head said ‘just stay inside this morning.'”
“I just had a weird feeling.”
Instead she went out to the stalls by 9:05am and saw a man standing right in front of her horse’s stall. “I called out to him, ‘get out of there,'” she said. He walked slowly away from the stall, appearing zoned out, she said. She said she immediately ran back in to her home and called 9-1-1. He was close enough still to hear her on the phone with the police dispatchers.
She said a retired police officer lives at her ranch and was up by then, but the vagrant had walked to a nearby park, and was no longer on her property. No one at this point knew what he had done to the animals.
The retired police officer and a neighbor followed the vagrant in to the park and told him to halt. About this time Sacramento County Sheriffs Deputies arrived. And that was when she and a Deputy Sheriff found her 27-year old retired show horse with gashes on his head. The vagrant beat the horse bloody with a hammer.
Later they discovered the vagrant had beaten the horse all over his body with the hammer. The hammer did not break the skin other than on his head, but he had swollen knots all over his body.
They found the dead pet chickens and ducks later. The deputy sheriff told the owner the homeless vagrant got into the chicken coup and swung the hammer all over, killing 12 of the chickens. Two pet ducks were also beaten to death by the hammer wielding vagrant.
“I feel very scared,” the horse’s owner said. “I can’t believe someone would come on to our property and do this. He put a gaping wounds on the animals and on us.”
“Our biggest fear is he is bailed out,” she added. She said the police appeared to know of him or who he was. “They said ‘he shouldn’t be in this area.'”
“They [mentally-ill homeless] are not even taken care of when they are out of control.”
UPDATE: The homeless man was arrested.
View Comments (20)
This story made me sick to my stomach. And, they want to legalize psychedelics?? Since Gavin is emptying the prisons in California, why don't they make them into a village for all the insane homeless? Thank God this incident did not include children!
I had the same reaction to this as Stacy did, and uncannily almost the exact same thoughts about it. What a horror scene, one that would never have happened if those who have been "elected" and who are being paid to do a job were doing their jobs! Each incident like this affects us all once we know about it, and if it hadn't been for Katy Grimes' network of friends and people who trust her we would never have known about this extremely ugly and traumatic incident. How many more such preventable crimes in this state are going completely unnoticed and unreported?
To add insult to injury, we once again have our own Gavin Newsom out and about photo-opping, bloviating, nonsense-talking, and patting himself on the back (I heard him yesterday; had to turn it off) about HOW MANY MORE MILLIONS he intends to throw at the dangerous, mentally ill, homeless/vagrant drug addicts. Amounts of cash "unprecedented" in the country, he proudly said, as they were also "unprecedented" with last year's failed cash free-for-all re vagrancy. Of course, it's all B.S. and slush funds that will only make things worse. And that is JUST ONE of hundreds of pressing CA problems!
We can't go on like this.
I completely agree with both Stacy and showandtell. So we reward the homeless with housing but can't help the FAMILIES that are on the brink of homelessness. Thank God it was not a kid or the woman, what if she was out there like she normally is would he have attacked her and still been rewarded with housing? It's just crazy. Our world is shit.
Let Gavin move the homeless in his neighborhood!!!
And move them in with Stretch Pelosi in Pacific Heights and Eric Swalwell, I mean President Swalwell. One of the most disturbing articles I have read in the Globe.
This is disgusting to even hear about. I know some of those homeless tweakera are out of their mind but to go swing a hammer with an intention to kill all of these innocent defenseless animals? Thats sickening!! Id like someone to go swing a hammer at his evil ass! Thank god he wasn't strong enough to hurt the poor horse .
This is so disturbing. And Newsom wants to just throw taxpayer money at the problem to provide housing to the homeless? How 'bout using the taxpayer money towards prevention of homelessness? Just providing housing to the homeless will only bring so many more homeless to our area - "build it and they will come". God help California.
This is absolutely horrible. And, what makes it worse, is that our city, county, state leaders continue to give excuses for the homeless. Claiming most are not on drugs. Nothing will change until our leaders are voted out of office. But, who would ever want that job? Not me. Thanks Katy for exposing us to the truth on what is happening in our city and state.
“Our biggest fear is he is bailed out,” she added. She said the police appeared to know of him or who he was. “They said ‘he shouldn’t be in this area.'”
What incredible BS!!! Of course the police "know him". It's the same endless crap in my community. The sicko would be released on "penny bail. There are locations in Alabama and elsewhere where the criminal would not have made it to the nearby park. Citizens in other states have a better grasp of justice.
While millions of dollars are directed towards the homeless in terms of hotel/motel/shelters/warming rooms, garbage pick-up, and a lot of talking, the officials keep missing the point. The point is that there is a section of homeless that have mild to severe mental illness that a nice place to camp, shelter, or hotel room will NOT cure.
The fire and police get stuck as "mental hospital orderlies" trying to resolve a problem that they should NOT be wasting their time on since they are not the solution. We call the fire or police departments because who else can we call? It should not be this way.
Instead of all the flamboyant lip service from our elected officials, how about if we direct some of those "millions of dollars" to re-activate Sonoma Development Center or some other former "State Hospital", hire the doctors and staff to treat the mentally challenged, ill, insane, etc., and bring 'em in. If you build it, they will come...or they will be escorted to their new "home". Give these citizens the medical help and shelter they need....and stop calling the fire & police!!!!!!!
HORRIFYING!
Newsom, Steinberg and ANY government figured head that perpetuates the same tired idea that the majority of homeless are just down on their luck unhoused are WILLFULLY BLIND.
Mental illness and drug addled people in their own reality need treatment now. The Housing First model is bull! It is a failure for this segment of society. One simple question, in the last 4 years has the problem improved or worsened?
As Katy pointed out, how many unreported crimes that are committed by this sub human group are there? Personally, in my neck of the woods, wild ducks and cat’s are found mutilated quite frequently, and the general public wonder why?
It is time to triage, get them off the street and sort out the problems and get proper treatment.
Stop wasting time and money on failed feel good policies. It is not humane for every affected person including the perpetuators of such horrific atrocities
For once can we live in reality?
I've been trying to find the location(s) of this horrible crime on the sheriffs crime website; but, can't locate it. I have family with horses and other animals living in rural Sac County. Does anyone know where this occurred? Thanks.
Brian, email me at katy@californiaglobe.com
This guy deserves to DIE a very slow, painful death! Why is he not yet dead? Most Californians are PUSSIES!
REBUILD THE INSANE ASYLUMS and put these people where they belong!