CLEARFIELD TWP — State police are conducting an animal cruelty investigation after 10 horses were seized Tuesday.

The horses were seized about 6:10 p.m. from a farm at 150 McEvoy Road. Police were assisted at the scene by the Equine Angels Rescue group in Cabot.

Pam Vivirito, founder of the Equine Angels Rescue, claimed that the horses were emaciated and living in poor conditions. She said that the horses did not have access to water or food.

She said a neighbor recently had driven by the property, saw horses in poor condition and called police.

There are 24 horses on the property. Vivirito said that police determined that only 10 needed to be seized and that the other 14 horses were in good enough condition to remain on the property.

She said that two of the horses had some kind of infection and had fevers. She said she is not sure if they will survive.

“We’re trying to get them to pull through at this point,” Vivirito said.

She said that five of the horses were kept in a barn. The two infected animals were tied up in the barn, she said.

“I don’t know what the plan was there,” Vivirito said.

The other five animals were kept outdoors.

She took the horses to her shelter, and it could take about six months before the horses are back in normal shape.

Vivirito said that she was on the scene until 11 p.m.

According to a police report, the owner of the horses is Helen Louise Welter-Lewis. A phone call to the house was not answered.

Prior to entering the property, Vivirito said police went to District Judge Lewis Stoughton to sign a search warrant. However, she said that Stoughton would not sign the warrant, saying that he knows the family and they are “good people.”

Stoughton said on Wednesday that he denied the search warrant due to a lack of probable cause. He declined further comment.

Butler District Judge Pete Shaffer later signed the warrant.

Vivirito said that she has a few animal cruelty cases in Stoughton’s courtroom this summer. She said she is trying to get the cases in front of another judge.

“I just think that (Stoughton) has ... no intention of helping the animals,” Vivirito said.

Summary charges of animal cruelty are pending the recommendation of the Butler County District Attorney.