Key Figure In Walking Horse Scandal Set To Plead Guilty In Chattanooga On Tuesday

  • Saturday, May 19, 2012

A key figure in the Tennessee Walking Horse scandal aimed at trainers involved in "horse soring" is set to plead guilty in Chattanooga on Tuesday morning.

Jackie McConnell is due to appear before Federal Magistrate Court Judge Bill Carter.

According to papers filed in Federal Court, he will plead guilty to one count and all other charges will be dismissed. A 52-county indictment had been issued against him, Jeff Dockery, John Mays and Joseph R. Abernathy. Abernathy and Mays are also set to appear in court Tuesday.

McConnell was in the news this week when the Humane Society of the United States released a video showing him repeatedly hitting a horse in the face - allegedly to teach the horse not to flinch when he was being checked for signs of soring.

McConnell, who is from Collierville in West Tennessee, but is a big part of the walking horse industry centered at Shelbyville, had his license revoked by the association there.

McConnell had a grand champion at Shelbyville in the late 1990s.  

Breaking News
Ringgold Man Gets 30 Years In Prison With 15 To Serve For Cruelty To His 2 Children
Ringgold Man Gets 30 Years In Prison With 15 To Serve For Cruelty To His 2 Children
  • 4/19/2024

A Ringgold man has been convicted for cruelty to children and sentenced to 30 years in prison - with the first 15 years to serve. On Wednesday, a Catoosa County jury convicted Dillan Michael ... more

Pair Arrested After Police Caught In Crossfire
Pair Arrested After Police Caught In Crossfire
  • 4/19/2024

Two men have been arrested after police were caught in a crossfire early Wednesday morning in the area of McCallie Avenue and Glenwood Drive. Officers in an unmarked car were conducting an ... more

Former VA Counselor Who Rammed Vehicle Into Ooltewah Man's House Is Involuntarily Committed
  • 4/19/2024

A Signal Mountain man who drove a truck into the kitchen of an Ooltewah man, heavily damaging several of the man's vehicles and pulling down the house's electrical panel, has been ordered committed ... more