Heather Birkmire of Lisbon, former operator of the Pure Gold stables in Salem Township, appears with her attorney, Ron Yarwood, for arraignment Friday on five counts of cruelty to animals and four counts of improper disposition of dead or destroyed animals, all misdemeanors,  related to the deaths of five horses at the property. She entered a not guilty plea on all counts, with a pretrial set for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 5 in Columbiana County Municipal Court. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON – The former operator of Pure Gold Stables and Equestrian Center in Salem Township entered a not guilty plea Friday morning to multiple misdemeanors counts related to the deaths of five horses whose remains were found last fall on the property.

Heather J. Birkmire, 45, Eagleton Road, Lisbon, appeared with her attorney, Ron Yarwood, during her arraignment before Columbiana County Municipal Court Judge Danielle Menning. A $5,000 recognizance bond was set and a pretrial was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 5.

Birkmire was indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury on Tuesday and served with the secret indictment Friday for five counts of cruelty to animals, a second-degree misdemeanor, and four counts of disposition of dead of destroyed animals violation, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

The indictment alleged that all the incidents related to the charges occurred from May 1, 2024 to Oct. 26, 2025, and alleged for the cruelty charges that Birkmire “did torture an animal, deprive one of necessary sustenance, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, needlessly mutilate or kill, or impound or confine an animal without supplying it during such confinement with a sufficient quantity of good wholesome food and water.”

The other charges dealt with how the bodies of the deceased horses were handled, with four of them found in a round pen in varying stages of decomposition, with some covered by blankets and others confined in stalls on Oct. 27, 2025 at the state Route 45 property. According to a press release by Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino, “necropsy results confirmed evidence of dehydration and starvation. The skeletal remains of a fifth horse were also recovered from a burn pit on the property.”

Abruzzino described the charging process in this case as “particularly complex, as it required necropsies (animal autopsies) to determine the cause of death for the horses. This process was both costly and time-intensive, necessitating that detectives from the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office personally transport the remains to Michigan State University for examination.”

A necropsy was not able to be done on the skeletal remains of the fifth horse, he said.

According to Abruzzino, 570 days in the county jail is the maximum penalty Birkmire could face if convicted on all counts and if the terms for each counts are ordered served consecutively.

The possible penalty for the second-degree misdemeanor cruelty to animals charge is up to 90 days per count and a fine of up to $750 per count, or up to 450 days in jail and $3,750 in fines if sentenced to consecutive terms. For the fourth-degree misdemeanor, the possible penalty is up to 30 days in jail for each count and a fine of up to $250 per count, or up to 120 days in jail and $1,000 in fines if ordered served consecutively.

“It is deeply regrettable that the horrific starvation of multiple horses at Pure Gold Stables in Salem Township cannot be charged as felonies. Because horses are not classified as ‘companion animals’ under Goddard’s Law, these heartbreaking acts of cruelty are treated as misdemeanors – a classification that fails to reflect the severity of the suffering inflicted on these horses,” Abruzzino said.

“I implore the Ohio legislature to act swiftly and amend Goddard’s Law to include horses and other equines in the definition of ‘companion animals.’ Our laws must evolve to provide meaningful protections and stronger penalties that match the profound bonds we share with these animals, especially in a county like ours, home to thousands of horses and countless riders,” he added.

During an interview about the situation, he explained that Goddardás Law makes actions against companion animals like dogs and cats a felony. Horses are not considered companion animals according to the law, but he feels they should be added to the list of companion animals in the state of Ohio. Right now, they are not, so the charges in this case can only be misdemeanors.

“As prosecutors, we have to follow the law,” Abruzzino said.

His office paid for the necropsies of the horses, which cost thousands of dollars. It was his understanding that Birkmire no longer owns the Pure Gold property and the property is under new ownership.

Abruzzino expressed gratitude to the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office and its detective bureau, county humane agents, Animal Welfare agents, and the staff of the Prosecutor’s Office for their hard work on this case.

A Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched at 5:27 p.m. Oct. 26 to the Pure Gold property regarding a complaint of animal abuse. When he arrived, he was told that four horse skeletons were observed in a barn.

The four horses were believed to have been locked in the barn and starved to death, according to the report, with evidence that they were chewing on the wood of the stalls. Seven other horses on the property were reported in poor health.

The investigation was handled by the county sheriff’s office, with detectives spending several months since the gruesome discovery working on the case. When contacted to see if he wanted to comment on the Birkmire case, Sheriff Brian McLaughlin declined.

Abruzzino asked that if anyone has any information on this case, they should contact the sheriff’s office detective bureau at 330-424-7255.