2/19/2025

WASHBURN - A former Washburn man who had 16 horses taken away by Bayfield County for mistreatment and then had them returned is now facing charges.

Kim Kingsley, 73, who now has a North Dakota address, faces four charges of mistreatment of animals/causing death, 14 charges of intentional mistreatment of animals, 20 charges of intentionally failing to provide food for those animals and 20 charges relating to the lack of shelter for the horses. Kingsley’s trouble with the law has been ongoing since this past July, when he struck a process server attempting to serve an eviction notice and then tried to prevent them from leaving his property. The 16 horses were then seized in early July. Locals and animal rights groups expressed dismay when the neglected animals were returned to him in January of this year and a case against him dismissed. The mistreatment charges are felonies and the failure to provide food and shelter are misdemeanors. If convicted, Kingsley faces more than fifty years in prison. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for the 25th.