Animal Cruelty Case Against Howlands Postponed

The two people at the center of a huge animal cruelty case will not be making their first appearance in court on Tuesday as originally expected.

Following an agreement between the State of Tennessee and the attorney representing Charles Eugene and Clinton Howland, the case has been reset until January 12, 2010.

The Howlands were arrested two weeks ago after the discovery of 84 dead and dying horses on their Woodland property.

The case has sparked huge statewide and national interest and is also the focus of further investigations by other law enforcement agencies.

The Howlands are represented by Shelbyville Attorney John Norton. Norton had a conflict with the December 8th court date due to a prior court commitment in another county.