(KNZA)--42 horses, seized in a 2018 Jackson County animal cruelty case, have been placed into new homes.

That word is delivered in a news release from Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.

The horses were placed into homes across Kansas during a placement event held in Holton on Saturday.

Morse, in the release, expressed gratitude for the assistance offered to his office by agencies such as K-HEART, its member equine rescues, including Rainbow Meadows, Shooting Star, and Hope in the Valley, their volunteers, and the Holton Livestock Exchange.

The horses were seized on two occasions last year after it was reported that  the owner, Franklin Johnson, had not been giving them adequate care.   

Johnson was found guilty in February of 45 counts of cruelty to animals in  two separate cases following a bench trial and placed on two years  probation.

He appealed the sentence and following a second bench trial in April was  found guilty on two counts of animal cruelty contained in an amended  complaint.