CANAAN — A local woman whose horse was struck and dragged to its death near her home Wednesday morning said Friday that she has received some tips on who might have been responsible.

Sierra Miner, 21, said her 4-year-old Appaloosa mare, Lucy, was grazing, tethered to twin cinder blocks at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when a motorist apparently swerved onto her property on Hubbard Road and hit the horse from behind, dragging the bleeding animal about a quarter mile onto Route 23.

The driver didn’t stop, and as of Friday no one has come forward to claim responsibility.

“We actually got a couple of leads that are pretty promising,” Miner said. “I’m excited about that … and I’m hoping that turns into catching who did this to Lucy.”

Maine State Police Trooper Jill Monahan said that the matter remains under investigation with nothing new to report. Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said there was no new information Friday.

Miner, who works as a server at Ruby Tuesday’s in Waterville, said she received the horse as a gift about a year ago. Miner said she had tied the horse to cinder blocks at the end of her driveway while she took a shower. When she got out of the shower, she found her phone was “blowing up” with calls telling her that the horse was dead on Route 23.

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When Miner got the calls, she “started running in disbelief — I didn’t believe it at all — there was no way that my horse was dead.”

The horse weighed about 1,000 pounds and stood just over 15 hands, or about 5 feet.

McCausland on Thursday said police are searching for a tan or gold, full-sized pickup truck that was seen by a neighbor on the road at about the time the horse was struck. There were no witnesses to the crash.

McCausland said if the truck was involved, it likely will have front-end damage. He said any charges against the driver would have to be determined once police and the district attorney’s office have all the facts.

Miner said people who have contacted her have made references to a tan or light-colored pickup truck or sports utility vehicle seen in the area Wednesday.

“We’re still very unsure of the vehicle, but it has been confirmed that it was a hit-and-run and we’re just now trying to find who did it and the vehicle that they drove,” she said.

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Miner acknowledged that she has been accused of not telling the whole story about what happened to her horse. She said the horse was not loose on the road and noted that it is common for people to tether livestock to objects where there is grass for the animal to eat, especially during dry months.

“I would never neglect my horse like that; it’s very common for people to tie their animals out to graze,” she said. “She died with her cinder block on. I buried it with her, the piece that we found. She obviously wasn’t running free. She was buried with the cinder block still attached to the lead.”

Trooper Monahan, who is investigating the incident, confirmed Thursday that the horse was struck in Miner’s yard and was dragged down the road after it fell. She said there were hoof prints in the road indicating that the horse was running at one point before falling and being dragged. Monahan said there was blood spatter at the scene of impact in Miner’s yard and along Hubbard Road to Route 23.

The carcass of the horse was located on Route 23 still attached to a rope, a halter and a concrete block, the trooper said.

“It’s still really hard to wake up and not see her waiting for me at the gate,” Miner said. “But I’m feeling I’m one step closer to actually finding out the truth. And when everybody finds out that somebody actually hit her and took off and we get that person’s name, then everybody that criticized me is going to look like a fool. I’m a very honest person. I have nothing to lie about.”

Michael Bartholf, a resident of Mercer, said he is offering a $500 reward to anyone that can provide a tip to police leading to charges in the case.

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Police asked that anyone with information about the incident to call state police in Augusta at 624-7076.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow


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