Former Burnet County commissioner found guilty on animal cruelty charges
Former Burnet County Precinct 3 Commissioner Billy Wall while he still served on the dais. Staff photo
A Burnet County jury on Friday, Nov. 14 found former Burnet County Precinct 3 Commissioner Billy Wall guilty on six charges of animal cruelty connected to the starvation and neglect of his cattle during a drought in 2022.
About 80 cattle were seized from Wall’s property near Bertram in September 2022 after complaints were reported to the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office about the poor state of the animals. Ultimately, Wall was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty in the case and a jury of his peers found him guilty on six of those charges on Friday.
The case was handled in the Burnet County Court at Law by visiting judge Kevin Henderson and Williamson County prosecutor Mariel Kelley to avoid conflicts of interest Wall may have had with members of the Burnet County government.
He was given a one-year probated jail sentence, two years of probation, and 100 hours of community service for each guilty charge, but they will all be served concurrently. A “probated” jail sentence means that Wall will not actually go to jail unless he violates the terms of his probation over the next two years. Since each sentence will be served concurrently, he will only be on probation for two years total, complete a total of 100 hours of community service, and spend up to a year in county jail total.
Wall’s convictions were all Class A misdemeanor-level animal cruelty charges, each carrying a potential penalty of up to one year in jail and $4,000 in fines.
“Our law provides that a person commits an (animal cruelty) offense if he intentionally or knowingly fails unreasonably to provide necessary food, water, or care for a livestock animal in the person’s custody,” reads the charging documents in the case.
Friday’s trial brings an end to years of legal back and forth between Wall and Burnet County. While Wall was still serving as Burnet County commissioner, the Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid on his property, seizing dozens of cattle that were malnourished, dehydrated, and unhealthy during a particularly harsh drought in the summer of 2022.
A 2022 affidavit from a sheriff’s deputy who worked on the case, Jason Jewett, gave insight into the state of the animals and their living conditions when they were seized.
“No clean water found around pens or on the property,” the affidavit reads. “Ground water tanks were all muddy and had dead cattle around them. Even Wall stated he had five dead ones in one tank.”
The seized animals were sold at auction in November 2022 to help cover the costs associated with the round up of the cattle and their care once they were in custody. While the cattle brought in $45,081.81, this was about $18,000 short of the estimated $63,000 spent transporting and caring for the animals while they were held at the Burnet County Fairgrounds for nearly two months. An agreement signed in the Burnet County Court at Law stated that Wall would pay the remaining cost.
DailyTrib was unable to obtain additional information on whether or not Wall paid the full restitution amount or what that amount was by the time of this article’s publication.