Jon Stewart, the former host of the “Daily Show,” is adopting a horse whose story of abuse made national news.
The mare was found covered in paint splotches, sore to the touch, and emaciated in the stall at New Holland Sales Stables in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she had been abandoned in March.
On Friday, the man who transported her from New Jersey, 65-year-old Philip Price Jr., was convicted of three counts of animal cruelty, a single count of dealing and handling animals without a license and a single count of importing animals without an interstate health certificate, according to WPMT.
Judge Rodney Hartman ordered the Rhode Island man to pay $3,056 in fines and $10,178 in restitution for Lily’s recovery-care costs. He has also been banned from working with the stable.
It’s still not clear who is responsible for the roughly 130 paint spots found all over her body.
Lilly had to undergo extensive rehabilitation, including surgery to remove its injured right eye.
“The Commonwealth is satisfied that justice was served and the defendant was held accountable for his inhumane conduct regarding the horse,” Wilson said afterward.
Lily was cared for at Penn Vet New Bolton Center in Kennett Square. Her condition has improved and she has gained weight.
Jon Stewart’s wife, Tracey McShane, a former veterinary technician and animal advocate, came to visit the horse dubbed ‘Lily’ in April, according to the Lancaster County SPCA.
The couple then decided to adopt Lily and bring her to their farm sanctuary for abused animals in New Jersey, an SPCA official confirmed.