MAGNOLIA, Ark. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man wanted for questioning in the death of a Southern Arkansas University rodeo horse.
Police had been looking for Billy Hamilton since January, when he was named a person of interest. Pike County Sheriff Preston Glenn tells the Texarkana Gazette that Hamilton was arrested Monday in Sebring, Fla.
Five horses were stolen from the SAU stables in November. Four were found malnourished but alive in McCurtain County, Okla. A fifth horse, named Credit Card, was shot to death and had its throat slashed.
The sheriff says Hamilton is considered a fugitive because he failed to pay restitution in an unrelated cattle theft conviction. Authorities did not know if he had an attorney.
An SAU rodeo team member is charged with animal cruelty in the case.
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