Officials have seized just under 120 animals from a Somerset woman involved in what police say is an animal hoarding investigation at Peaceable Farm—not counting the ones that died before intervention.
Anne Shumate Williams, also known as Anne Goland, was charged with 27 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty October 26 and is being held at the Central Virginia Regional Jail. She released 71 horses, mules and donkeys, along with 28 cats and seven dogs to rescue groups or animal shelters.
She refused to surrender another 10 horses in need of immediate care, but authorities have since taken them into their possession.
“What I saw was one of the most horrendous sights I’ve ever seen in 28 years of law enforcement,” Orange County Sheriff Mark Amos said at a press conference October 26, according to the Daily Progress. “We found six dead horses, one dead donkey, many dogs and cats and chickens.”
Williams is still in possession of 18 horses, a bull and several cats, and it is believed that friends are caring for those animals while she is in jail. Williams was denied bond at an October 27 hearing.
Additionally, nine horses have been put down since the investigation began on October 19, according to Amos, who also said Williams/Goland operated Peaceable Farm as an animal rescue nonprofit and as a horse breeder. He has asked the IRS to investigate for possible fraud.
In January, Williams was investigated at her farm in Montgomery County, Maryland, after people called in concerns, according to NBC29. Animal services then charged her with inadequate water on the farm, and police say she removed the horses shortly after that.