RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office has started a criminal investigation after nearly 70 horses were impounded for neglect.

The 69 horses were seized after the Sheriff’s Office obtained a court order Jan. 8.

The Sheriff’s Office says the caretakers for the horses do not currently live on the property where the horses were located.

The court order approves the Sheriff’s Office’s plan to release several boarded horses to their actual owners and to transfer ownership of the remaining horses to new owners.

The investigation into the neglect of the horses remains ongoing.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)