Woman Whose Horses Were Seized Charged With Elder Abuse

A woman whose horses were seized from her La Cresta property in 2011 because of alleged neglect is now facing a felony elder abuse charge in connection with a senior citizen.

Janice Deutsch is due in court Nov. 29 to answer a charge of great bodily injury or death on an elder, with sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a serious felony and inflicting bodily injury on a person older than 70.

Deutsch was arrested on a warrant Oct. 3 but was released on $250,000 before she was scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 5.

Deutsch's property was raided and 16 horses on her multi-acre equestrian property were seized in September 2011.

Half the horses were hers; the other half belonged to owners who boarded their horses on her property, Patch learned at the time.

The horses, all Thoroughbreds of various ages, were seized by Riverside County Animal Services from the property at 19870 Hitt Lane in the community of La Cresta, just west of Wildomar.

According to Dr. Allan Drusys, Riverside County chief veterinarian, many of the horses were malnourished.

“Twelve to 13 of the horses are very much underweight,” Drusys said at the time, noting that the property owner had been prescribed a veterinary treatment plan.

“She has failed to live up to her side,” Drusys said.

At the time, Deutsch contended that an equine disease outbreak caused significant weight loss in the horses and the county had not given her enough time to restore them to health.

Deutsch lived at the property with her then-85-year-old mother but it was unclear whether the elderly woman was the target of the alleged abuse.