Delta Horse Auction, CO 4/3/11

Investigators arrived at the monthly auction at 8:50am. Inside the pen area were approx 50 horses, several were thin and one horse had his eye removed. More horses were arriving throughout the morning. Kill buyers Charles Carter and Jason Fabrizius were present.  At 11:00 am, both of them were observed talking to auction owner Dan Varner and pointing out the investigators. Shortly thereafter, two police officers from the local Sheriff’s Department arrived and went to the sales office. At 11:20 am, two city police cars arrived and parked next to Carter’s truck. Carter and the police continued to observe the investigators, which made it impossible to further document the auction. It is very disturbing that the local police officers have nothing better to do with their time and it raises concerns about the nature of their relationship to the auction owner. 146 horses were sold.