SUMMERFIELD, Fla. – A Summerfield horse trainer was arrested Friday following allegations of animal cruelty after a video surfaced showing him abusing a horse, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Benito Orlando Cotto Colon, 34, was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after a 16-second video showed him kicking and violently pulling on the reins of a Paso Fino horse. The video, recorded by a witness and submitted to authorities, depicts the horse in obvious distress trying to evade the repeated kicks and yanks, an arrest affidavit states.
The complaint was filed by a Miami woman who hired Cotto Colon to train and care for two of her horses. She said the abuse was captured about a month ago and expressed concern about serious injuries to the horse’s mouth and tongue, the affidavit states…