West Virginia § 7-10-3 Cruel treatment of animal drawing or in vehicle; custody and care thereof by humane officers

West Virginia Statutes

§ 7-10-3 — Cruel treatment of animal drawing or in vehicle; custody and care thereof by humane officers

West Virginia § 7-10-3

Ch. 7COUNTY COMMISSIONS AND OFFICERS

Art. 10HUMANE OFFICERS

This text of West Virginia § 7-10-3 (Cruel treatment of animal drawing or in vehicle; custody and care thereof by humane officers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 7-10-3 (2026).

Text

When any person arrested is, at the time of such arrest, in charge of any vehicle drawn by or containing any animal cruelly treated, such officer shall take charge of such animal and of such vehicle and its contents, and of the animal or animals drawing the same, and shall, if the person in charge thereof be not the owner, give notice of such seizure to the owner, and provide for them until their owner shall take charge of the same; and if the person in charge of or driving such animals be the owner thereof, the same shall not be returned to him until he has been tried for the offense and acquitted, or if convicted, until he shall give bond in the penalty of $500 with approved security before the tribunal trying the case conditioned not to again cruelly treat such animals; and the officer 

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When any person arrested is, at the time of such arrest, in charge of any vehicle drawn by or containing any animal cruelly treated, such officer shall take charge of such animal and of such vehicle and its contents, and of the animal or animals drawing the same, and shall, if the person in charge thereof be not the owner, give notice of such seizure to the owner, and provide for them until their owner shall take charge of the same; and if the person in charge of or driving such animals be the owner thereof, the same shall not be returned to him until he has been tried for the offense and acquitted, or if convicted, until he shall give bond in the penalty of $500 with approved security before the tribunal trying the case conditioned not to again cruelly treat such animals; and the officer shall have a lien upon such animals and the vehicle and its contents for the expenses of such care and provision, or such expenses or any part thereof remaining unpaid may be recovered by such humane officer in a civil action.