Animal abuse case heads to court Jan. 26

Eleven months after Manatee County Sherriff’s Office deputies raided an East County animal shelter, an official court date has been set.

Owners of Napier's Log Cabin Horse and Animal Sanctuary Alan and Sheree Napier will stand trial at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 26, at the Manatee County Courthouse, located at 1115 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

The trial comes after a slew of hearings and other court formalities, which never led to a judge-and-jury trial.

The Napiers face 15 counts of animal cruelty involving nine dogs, five horses and a cat. Alan Napier also faces a fraud charge.

After multiple complaints and undercover investigations, Feb. 5, authorities confiscated more than 300 animals from the East County property, located off State Road 64.

For updates on the trial, visit yourobserver.com.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].