A horse in Harnett County, N.C., is recovering after allegedly being beaten with a shovel, according to news stories on the Dunn’s online edition of The Daily Record. Local horse trainer Michael Joseph Nugent, 26, of Anderson Creek, is accused of abusing the horse, and felony charges are pending.

Nugent was found guilty of misdemeanor cruelty to animals in Lillington District Court on Friday, Sept. 26. District Court Judge Addie Rawls ordered that Nugent no longer board horses without being properly licensed. He was not previously licensed. Nugent has appealed the misdemeanor charges, which will be heard by a grand jury in Superior Court, along with the felony charge. A date has not been set