(KNZA)--The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is offering forty-two horses seized from a farm near Hoyt last year for adoption.

The Sheriff’s Office posted a notice on its web site July 7 and sent a release to the media about offering the horses for placement into forever homes.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse reported Friday that his office had received more than 70 inquiries so far into adopting the horses.

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

 K-HEART, the Kansas Horse Education, Advocacy and Resource Team, is assisting the sheriff’s office with the adoption process.

K-HEART will be interviewing and “ pre-vetting” the applicants for adoption of the horses over the next few weeks.

The deadline for applications is August 10.

For more information on the horses up for adoption, along with the adoption process,  you can go to the Jackson County Sheriff Office’s web site.