Woman to Be Charged in Theft of Horse
The horsenapper may have been nabbed. Police said they have a suspect in connection with the August theft of a horse from a riding club for the disabled.
Police said they have a warrant for the arrest of Frances Lena Irigoyen, 51, of Norco in the theft of Nemesis, a 14-year-old mare, from Rancho Del Rio Stables. The horse was recovered after being sold to a man in Bakersfield.
The man, whom authorities did not identify, picked out Irigoyen from a photo lineup as the seller of the animal.
Irigoyen, who was being held Thursday at the Riverside County Jail on unrelated charges, is expected to be arraigned Monday in Orange County.
Operators of the riding club said the loss of the horse was heart-rending for their members, especially 33-year-old Rebecca Nerney of Garden Grove, who has cerebral palsy and rode Nemesis daily as part of her therapy.
The horse was returned to the club Aug. 27 after being found by Kern County sheriff’s deputies in a pasture near Bakersfield.
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