Wrenshall man forfeits horses seized by county

The Wrenshall farmer at the center of an ongoing animal neglect case agreed last month to relinquish ownership of 12 horses as part of a civil agreement with Carlton County.

In exchange, Henry DeVriendt Jr., 63, won't face criminal charges and also will not be responsible for financial costs related to last month's seizure and impoundment of 12 horses from DeVriendt's pasture located at 1196 Gault Road.

"Nothing in this agreement shall be construed as an admission that Henry Peter Devriendt Jr. violated any animal cruelty laws," said the Sept. 13 settlement agreement signed by both DeVriendt and County Attorney Lauri Ketola.

DeVriendt relinquished ownership interest in a variety of animals, outlined in the settlement as, "Four Chestnut Mares, One Chocolate Foal, One Chocolate Mare, One Chocolate Pony Mare, One Dun Foal, One Dun Mare, One Dark Dapple Horse, One Blue Roan Stallion, and One Chestnut Foal seized by the Carlton County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 5."

"The course of action chosen by the county allowed us to address the immediate needs and wellbeing of the horses," Ketola said in a response to the Pine Knot received after the print deadline. "The owner was cooperative in the process. Further criminal charges would not be in the interest of justice."

DeVriendt's pasture had been the subject of a pair of county investigations across the past several years, as neighbors complained the animals lacked proper food and water and were left to wander onto roadways and neighboring properties.

Since a search warrant and seizure on Sept. 5, the animals had been housed by the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation, based in Zimmerman, Minnesota, and are now eligible to be adopted now that the agreement is in place.

A hearing in District Court in early Sept. 11 had left open the possibility of criminal charges. The subsequent settlement means a scheduled November evidentiary hearing and further court proceedings are concluded.

"Carlton County hereby agrees to release Henry Devriendt Jr. of any and all criminal liability related to said horses," the agreement said. The state law preventing animal cruelty calls for gross misdemeanor charges in cases of animal neglect or mistreatment.

The case has been the subject of much consternation, with neighbors appearing multiple times at Carlton County board proceedings, sharing encounters and observations and urging action. Throughout the course of the saga, a pair of statewide nonprofits, the Animal Humane Society and Minnesota Federated Humane Societies, have been involved as outside investigators.

The farm was previously investigated in 2019, when the farmer voluntarily reduced the number of animals, while agreeing to take care of the ones he had left.

During a county board meeting June 26, commissioner Gary Peterson reacted to complaints.

"I'd like to see this go on the front burner and get this resolved as soon as possible," he said.

At the same meeting, county auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt, a relation to the Wrenshall farmer, apologized to county officials and commissioners on behalf of the family for the case taking up so much time and attention.

Sheriff Kelly Lake also spoke in 2019 about the case, addressing the strong reaction against the farmer.

"People wanted us to seize all the animals and throw [the owner] in jail for life," Lake said at the time. "That isn't how things work. ... The primary goal is to make sure the horses are taken care of. Things don't happen overnight."