Norwood horse farm mischief case put over

Woman also facing animal cruelty charges

The case of a woman charged with mischief, who is also facing multiple animal cruelty charges, was before the courts Thursday.

Sandra Reed-Byers is charged with mischief for harassing the neighbours who share a property with her.

She’s represented by local lawyer Dave McFadden, who appeared in court on her behalf.

The matter was pushed back to Oct. 23.

Reed-Byers, 56, began harassing the Ellis family after they confronted her about her lack of care for her animals.

The Ellis’s and Reed-Byers both rent space on a farm off Highway 7 toward Norwood.

Reed-Byers lives in an apartment in the barn and the Ellis’s live in the house on the property, according to Renee Ellis.

They both have horses and use the barn and fields jointly.

But since the Ellis’s addressed Reed-Byers, she’s been locking them out of the barn and hired a security guard to follow them on the property, Ellis said.

Reed-Byers (formerly Reed) is also before the courts for 33 counts of animal cruelty. The OSPCA charged her in June after an investigation that lead to the removal of a horse, goat, three dogs and 22 sheep that were emaciated.

Since then, she’s brought home another two dogs, Ellis says.

Reed-Byers’s animal cruelty case was before the Ontario Court of Justice on Sept. 20. McFadden also represents her on that matter. The case was put over until Oct. 22.

Although it was the first time the OSPCA laid charges against Reed-Byers, it’s not the organization’s first time investigating her.

She was under the microscope in 2016 for allegations of starving and mistreating her horses. At the time, Reed-Byers operated Whisper Ridge Ranch, which she called a horse sanctuary.

The OPSCA also confirmed she’d been investigated for animal cruelty prior to 2016.