July/August 2024 Issue

Page 4 July/August 2024 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Suzanne Bush Before daybreak on Febru- ary 20, Philadelphia Police got a frantic call from one of their offi- cers. “Yes, I need help. There's a horse on I-95 Northbound ramp and they are requesting help, help to catch this horse.” The dispatch- er asks, incredulously, “Catch a horse?” “That's correct sir." With that, the race was on. Rush hour was beginning, and both the escaped horse and drivers on the highway were in danger. Within an hour the horse, galloping down an off-ramp, was corralled by State Police and Philadelphia Police cruisers, and the officers tied the horse to a tree. Shortly after, a van from Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club arrived to take the horse home to the Strawberry Mansion stables. The horse, its mane flowing as he galloped alongside traffic, startled, enchanted, worried and amazed those who saw him. One witness, who was a passenger In Encounters with Police, One Horse Lives, Another Dies in a shuttle heading north on the interstate, was clearly awed. “He was in full stride,” Deborah Rogers told CBS News. “It was the most majestic thing I’ve ever seen. I just prayed for a minute and said ‘help this animal if you can.’” The horse, since named “Freeway” by the young people at Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, finished his adventure without injury. But Freeway proved two important points: 1. Horses often escape from the places where they’re housed. 2. And those who are charged with public safety should be prepared for the unexpected. Another Horse Outran His Luck Near midnight on December 21, 2021 an unnamed horse was hit by a car near Route 1 in Avon- dale, PA. Though it was apparent- ly a significant impact which ac- tivated air bags, neither the horse nor the driver of the car was injured and State Police arrived at the scene. It was late at night, so there was not much traffic. Still, the State Police officers on the scene deployed several strategies to prevent the horse from creating danger for motorists. They fashioned a “rope” from jumper cables but could not capture the horse. They shot at the horse, hitting him but not stopping him. They used the police cruiser to ram the horse several times. The sixth time the officer rammed the horse, it final- ly fell, and the officer drove the cruiser up onto the fallen horse. Another officer euthanized the injured animal. The officer who was driving the cruiser, Corporal Michael Perillo, was charged seven months later with several counts of animal cruelty. The action was instigated by the Pennsylvania State Police Internal Affairs, a division of the agency that in- vestigates incidents and possible suspicions of criminal and pro- fessional misconduct attributed to members of the parent force. The Chester County District Attorney in 2022 was Deb Ryan, who said that “inflicting such pain on an innocent animal is unthinkable and inexcusable. No one is above the law, and my office will hold the defendant accountable for his actions.” Perillo was suspended from the State Police without pay, pending the outcome of legal proceedings. Those proceedings didn’t proceed. Perillo’s trial was sched- uled, then postponed. Scheduled, then postponed. Over the course of nearly two years, Perillo’s trial was postponed thirteen times. A new District Attorney was elect- ed. And, in June—a mere two and half years after the horse died, the charges against Perillo were dropped on June 4. In his letter to the judge, requesting the dismissal of charges, District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said that “this is an irregular case that pres- ents complex legal issues.” His letter was also signed by Deputy District Attorney Kate Wright, who was prosecuting the case. “In short,” de Barrena-Sarobe continued, “while there is ample probable cause to support the initial charging decision, after a review of the applicable defense at trial, I do not believe that the Commonwealth can meet its burden of proving this offense beyond a reasonable doubt.” He subsequently told the media that Perillo’s attorney planned to argue that the officer’s actions were necessary because the horse could potentially have caused a serious accident, and he pointed out that the law places a higher value on human life than animal life. “I believe the neces- sity defense is valid and would be successful at trial.” Perillo Reinstated According to Myles Snyder, Communications Director for Pennsylvania State Police, Perillo is back on the job—albeit a job with more limited scope. “Cpl. Perillo was removed from sus- pended without pay status after the charges were dismissed. Per department policy, he has now been placed on restricted duty status while an internal investi- gation is conducted to determine what, if any, department policies (Continued on page 38) Young Horse Lovers Gallop into Summer Reading Horse-savvy parents know hot weather means a reduction in riding time and intensity just when young riders are out of school. Reading (especially horse books) fills the gap and helps avoid a “summer slide” in read- ing scores. What are the summer- time benefits? Enjoyment: Given free rein to choose their own books at libraries, bookstores or online, young readers are more likely to have fun reading. Horse books at any grade level, in any form “taste” like dessert after a steady diet of assigned reading. Empowerment: Young read- ers who like what they’re reading will probably finish even the most challenging fiction or non-fiction books and recommend them to their friends at the barn. Relaxation: Let kids immerse themselves in a favorite author, series or re-read a story they loved when they were younger. Another plus: reading aloud to a horse or pony can build bonds that don’t require horse or rider to perform. Hint: Audio books are real books. Not only do they build listening skills, they make time fly while hauling a trailer and add a sparkling distraction to muck- ing out stalls. Terri Farley is an author and reading teacher. The Phantom Stallion series is available wher- ever books are sold.