Horse owners in Ohio whose animals unintentionally roam from their enclosures could be spared criminal prosecution under a new bill designed to refine the state's so-called running-at-large law.

Under current law, owners can be held criminally liable if their horses and other livestock are found running at large under any circumstances.

HB 503 refines that state's large animal law to limit prosecution for owners whose animals roam onto public or private property as a result of natural disasters or vandalism to enclosure fences or gates. If enacted, owners who negligently permit their animals to run at large would be liable for damages the animals cause. Owners who deliberately fail to confine their animals could be subject to fourth-degree misdemeanor criminal charges.

Ohio State Representatives Danny Bubp and Jennifer Garrison introduced the measure on May 10 after the Ohio State Bar Association's Agricultural Law Committee asked legislators to clarify circumstances for criminal prosecution, said Erica Wilson, Bubp's administrative aid