WEST RICHLAND -- Benton County brass brought down the hammer on an accused animal abuser.

Action news first told you about a West Richland woman, who neighbors feared, was neglecting her horses.

Those fears became the focus of a Sheriff's investigation, and ultimately a case with the prosecutor's office.

Benton County Prosecutors are formally charging the owner, Cally Adams, with animal cruelty.

Thursday, Sheriff's deputies got word from the judge to rescue those animals.

So they called in a horse rescue organization, loaded them up and got them out of there.

The case centers on a piece of property near Ruppert Road and Lob Lane.

The Benton County Sheriff said the rescue group will care for the pair or horses temporarily.

And the group doesn't want the public to know its name so volunteers can keep the animals at a safe location.

The good news is, investigators brought a vet to the property Wednesday and said the animals can pull through, as long as they're fed.

Several neighbors claim the owner was not feeding them or giving them shelter.

Apparently they were new to the neighborhood and were skinny went they first arrived.

Months went by, and neighbors claim the horses got worse and worse.

In an email to Action News, one viewer wrote "The bark on the trees have been eaten up as high as they can reach and they have resorted to eating anything on the ground, including their own manure."

Wendy Degraff lives in the neighborhood.

She reached out to protect the horses.

"It's hard to just sit by and watch these horses not have the food they need or the shelter they need, especially during the winter and all the rain," Degraff said.

Degraff is also Vice President of the Columbia Basin Equine Rescue and offered to temporarily take care of the animals.

She is one of several people have emailed Action News to help out with the horses.

For now, the Sheriff's Office is taking care of it.

We'll keep you updated on their condition.

Cally Adams' arraignment is set at the end of February.

This isn't the only sad story at a stable.

Deputies told Action News, they found out about a Finley owner who mis-handled his horse.

Deputies said the horse died and then the owner left it there for a week.

They're giving the owner some time to properly take care of the animal and if he doesn't deputies will be back.