Wednesday, September 3, 2025
It was two weeks ago today that I went on the radio to declare an injustice.
The worst animal abuse case ever seen by the folks at Horses Haven took a dark turn.
We urged listeners to call the Clinton County Prosecutor's Office to complain that RC was a horse lucky to be alive because of 130 volunteers and staff at the animal rescue farm in Howell. Being returned to the man who left him starving, near death, was unthinkable.
But that's exactly what Tony Spagnuolo did by striking a plea deal with the abuser when his court case from a February seizure of RC came up.
Good old Tony the Terrible (that's the deserving nickname I gave him on the radio) is the Chief Prosecutor at Clinton County's top law enforcement office in St. John's. He dismissed more serious charges for animal abuse by slapping the abuser's wrist, handing him a misdemeanor ticket to pay for essentially blocking animal control folks from taking his horses.
Forget that the Clinton County Animal Control called Horses Haven last winter for help saving RC's life. Forget that another horse had to be put down when they arrived to discover a horrific scene. Forget, too, that a 2019 law in Michigan increased the potential maximum prison sentence for killing or torturing an animal to a felony animal abuse case to up to 10 years for first-degree offenses.
Forget that when RC was seized on his property by authorities, the abuser's other horse had to be put down. A photo of that horse has remained on our front page at TheDailyGazette.net to remind people to keep hollering about the injustice done here to RC.
The volunteers at Horses Haven, an army of 130 strong, had helped staff members and veterinarians nurse RC back to good health to live out the last days of his life around people who love him. RC made friends with a goat. He could be found happy as ever in the fields with other horses.
All agree he probably won't last long back in Clinton County at the abuser's place.
He's 30 and the director at Horses Haven posted a photo of how a horse of the same age looked at a recent in-take evaluation. The difference was amazing. RC appears near death while the horse of an identical age was a spectacular beauty.
The director also pointed out inaccuracy after inaccuracy in a form letter Tony the Terrible's office staff e-mailed out to callers who protested how RC was sent back to the abuser.
Oh, we were successful in flooding old Tony the Terrible's phone lines with calls.
But nobody got to talk to him.
Just a secretary or two who don't like their jobs. Or maybe it's me they don't like.
Nah, several callers tell me the clip I aired on the radio was nothing compared to how rude staff members were to them.
My callers, texts, e-mails and notes via Messenger were reacting to a recording of one call I aired on the radio to display how Tony the Terrible's staff react to media questions.
Perhaps Tony the Terrible subscribes to the bad politician's bible on handling heat.
Just lay low.
Let the news cycle pass. Just hope it goes away and people forget.
Well, this is one people won't forget. I'm sure his growing list of enemies will carry out their plans to make themselves heard on the next campaign trail. But I've got news for all of them. Tony the Terrible's chances for re-election were already slim, none and none.
This guy blamed chaos in his office on two opponents he beat on election day. He told The Lansing State Journal they were assistant prosecutors at the office who were key members of the team he had lost. So blame them for him being soft on crime? Blame them for slapping the wrists of guys who beat on women?
Observers around St. John's tell me Tony the Terrible became so desperate to win cases that he was twice fined b judges for hiding evidence from the defense. Who does that?
More importantly, where is the Michigan Attorney General?
It's time we direct our calls and e-mails to Dana Nessel — head honcho in Lansing at the AG's office. Maybe she can figure out a way to arrest Tony the Terrible.
It's my humble opinion that he needs to share a jail cell with horse abuser.
You can call AG Nessel's office at (517) 335-7622.
You can can e-mail her a link to this column at miag@michigan.gov and simply say, "What Mike said!"
If our front page photo of a helpless horse lying on the ground, nearly frozen to the soil, can't inspire you to simply dial a number and voice your outrage, I'm not sure you can be motivated to ever get involved in anything. Sending an e-mail is even easier.
To sweeten the pie, I'll give away two $27.95 Michigan Renaissance Festival tickets to the first 100 who promise to act by claiming them to use this weekend on Saturday or Sunday in Holly, or on Friday, Sept. 26 Festival Fun Day.
Just promise to both call the AG and to e-mail her a link to this column with a simple note, saying, "What Mike said!"
I say the AG should step in to return RC to Horses Haven and look into how she can end Tony the Terrible's reign of lawlessness over Clinton County.
Dana Nessel has spent over a billion dollars of our tax money to fund like 30-some lawsuits against Donald Trump's policies. Maybe whisper to Dana that Tony the Terrible had a Trump sign in his yard during the last campaign.
I'm not sure if it's true but it's apparently okay to lie in Clinton County.
Tony the Terrible did it in his form letter to our army of callers. The director at Horses haven cited numerous inaccuracies about his claims of good care for RC. I pointed out on the radio how he lied by saying the staff at Clinton County Animal Control was "on board" with his decision. They are not. Tony the Terrible also said the vet bill of more than $7,000 at Horses Haven had been paid as part of his restitution in the plea deal. Not true when he issued the form letter. Maybe the check is in the mail since it was ordered as restitution.
The top officials who run Horses Haven can expect it to arrive on the day after never.
Same day as Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley's campaign aide and cousin Sherrod Pigee's check will arrive for restitution to his victims on renting out houses years ago that he didn't own to struggling people who scraped together their final pennies to a guy who disappeared to find another victim with a new burner phone and creative twist to his con job that landed him a felony arrest.
Same story for Beverly Biggs-Leavy who was convicted of a felony several years ago and ordered to pay restitution for buying bridge cards from people to buy food for her catering business before becoming a candidate for Flint City Council.
Dana's fellow Democrats need to go to prison for not paying up on their restitution.
But I'll look the other way for now if she cracks down on Republican Tony the Terrible.
Does she have the power to throw him out of Michigan?
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.