A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to conceal from authorities that her two horses had equine infectious anaemia (EIA).
 Regina Chesser |
The
viral disease is contagious and law requires that state authorities be notified.
Florida agriculture commissioner Charles Bronson said the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement arrested Regina Chesser, 56, of Fellsmere, Indian River County, and charged her with failing to report a dangerous transmissible disease - a second-degree felony.
Authorities allege Chesser brought her horse, Dolly, to a Vero Beach veterinary clinic to be tested for EIA.
When the test results were positive for EIA, authorities with the department's Division of Animal Industry tried to contact her, only to find that she had given the alias Cheryl Hearndon.
She had also given a false address and phone number to the clinic and used an email address registered to a friend.
The false information was given because Chesser has suspected Dolly was infected with the EIA virus.
The case was turned over to Bronson's Office, which began a criminal investigation.
Chesser's true identity and location were discovered after an extensive search, Bronson said.
Authorities then learned there were two horses on Chesser's property and subsequent testing showed that both were carriers of EIA.
EIA is characterised by acute and/or chronic recurring clinical signs, including fever, anaemia, oedema and a general weakness in some animals. Many horses have very mild symptoms and carry this virus undetected.
All infected horses, including those that are asymptomatic, become carriers and are infectious for life. Infected animals must either be destroyed or remain permanently isolated from other horses to prevent transmission.
After her arrest, Chesser was booked into the Indian River County Jail on $US7500 bond, and her horses were placed in quarantine.
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