UPDATE — Watch the most recent report from MTN's John Emeigh here:
(First report)
DEER LODGE — The Powell County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a disturbing video circulating on social media recently that allegedly shows a horse being drowned in a river.
Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles confirmed with MTN News Friday morning that detectives are looking into this matter after becoming aware of the video on Thursday.
The heavily edited video, which has been widely shared on social media, appears to show a man riding a struggling horse into the deep part of a river. The video quickly cuts to a group of men pulling a dead horse from the river with the use of a rope and a truck.
The sheriff said the investigation has just started and no charges or arrests have been made as of Friday.
Roselles confirmed the incident depicted in the video allegedly occurred in Powell County sometime in June. Investigators have identified the people in the video but have not released their names.
MTN's John Emeigh reached out to the man seen removing the horse from the river in the video. The man says the horse's drowning was accidental and that he was remorseful over the horse's death. He claims the video has been edited by someone else to make the drowning appear intentional.
The man has agreed to an on-camera interview; we will update this article with more details once the interview is complete.