Itawama County horse shot and killed

An itawamba county family is upset after a horse they bought as a christmas gift was shot and killed by the sheriff's department.

Wtva's wayne hereford talked to the family and the sheriff today about what happened to the horse.

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Fulton itawamba county ) on interstate, fulton, itawamba county ) itawamba county ) this is mile marker 107, the spot near where a horse named goldie had to be put down by the sheriff's department."

"we bought a horse a couple of days before christmas.

But christmas eve morning it got out."

Goldie was several miles from his pasture where it was brought to stay as a christmas gift.

Mile marker 107 is east of the weigh station on 1-22 east of fulton.

"i got up that morning to go feed .

I spent about three hours searching for it in the cold.

And called my wife and told her to go ahead and call the sheriff's department and report it .

See if someone had seen it."

Itawamba county sheriff chris dickinson said by phone that one of his deputies did see goldie on 1-22 roaming about in the dark.

The sheriff says there were several 9-1-1 calls from frightened motorists.

The sheriff says goldie had to be put down because it was acting erratically and presented a danger to motorists on the free way.

He said he was well within his rights to take the horse down.

Pierce says goldie hopped over this cattle gap on his property which can keep most cows and even horses from straying away from home.

But goldie, being on the property for only a couple of days, jumped over the cattle gate.

The whole ordeal left his daughter , grace who loves to play with his other horses, in tears..

(misty pierce- fulton)"and this is what we had to tell my daughter on christmas day, that her dream christmas horse was gone."

The pierce's said they understand goldie presented a problem by running loose on the interstate.

They wish that the situation could have been handled differently.ke standup.."in fulton wayne hereford wtva nine news over in lowndes county columbus police got the car