(Updated with a response from Powell County Attorney Kathryn McEnery, 5:38 p.m. MST, 1/31/25)
BUTTE — Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles confirmed an investigation into the incident involving a horse drowning in June 2024 has been completed.
Sheriff Roselles says the Powell County Attorney will not be filing criminal charges in connection with the incident.
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In a letter obtained by MTN News, Powell County Attorney Kathryn McEnery explained that the video shared on social media is insufficient evidence for the filing of criminal charges. Her full letter is viewable at the bottom of this article.
The investigation was spurred by a video that 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.
Reno Ward, the owner of the horse who is seen riding it in the video, told MTN News the incident was a tragic accident in which the horse panicked when it stepped into deep water.
“It’s a very catastrophic accident and it’s been misinterpreted by the whole world,” said Ward.
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The heavily edited video shows people laughing as the body of the horse was being pulled from the water. Ward said this was several hours after the horse’s death and added much in the video is taken out of context.
“We weren’t laughing at a horse’s death. There wasn’t ever any footage when I came up out of the water and, I, for one, happy to be alive when that horse was coming after me pawing. For one, distraught about, like, what happened to the horse, being in disbelief of like, I just lost this valuable pet asset,” he said.
Ward claims the video was posted because of a dispute with a family and designed to ruin his reputation.
The full letter from the Powell County Attorney is below:
