A Red Level man was jailed Wednesday on one count of animal neglect and cruelty following allegations that he deprived nine horses of food and water.

Sheriff Dennis Meeks said investigators with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry and county deputies responded to a home on Grange Forge Road inside the city limits of Red Level.

“When law enforcement arrived they found nine horses in a fenced in area — about a quarter of an acre — with no grass, food, hay or water,” Meeks said. “This has been an ongoing problem that has been persistent for the past three years.”

Christopher Francis Marvin, 48, was arrested and booked into the Covington County Jail and held on a $3,000 bond.

“Animals are like children,” Meeks said. “They cannot take care of themselves. We arrest and prosecute for child abuse and neglect; therefore, we will arrest and prosecute for animal abuse and neglect.”

Meeks thanked “the concerned citizens who called in complaints about these animals.”

As soon as law enforcement arrived, a concerned citizen brought hay and water for the animals. When the incident was over, Sheriff’s Posse member Joe Barton took seven horses to his farm. The other two were taken by private citizens so that they might be restored to health.