Arizona family sues rancher, county over fatal car collision with loose horses

By Jim Greene

Published on September 27, 2005

Kathleen Norwood-Hines died in November after her car struck horses owned by George Williams on Rio Verde Drive, a main road through the unincorporated Rio Verde Foothills area of Northeast Valley, an equestrian community a few miles from downtown Scottsdale.

In addition to Williams, the suit names the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation. It says the county received 150 complaints last year about horses on Rio Verde Drive and has been aware of the situation since 2002. After Hines' death, the county decided to change the zoning in the Rio Verde Drive area to high-density grazing, requiring owners to keep horses fenced in. Under the current open range zoning, drivers are responsible for avoiding animals.

Williams was charged with animal neglect and cruelty this summer after one of his horses was hit by a car and killed near a local country club. He began grazing horses in the area when it was more sparsely populated. Williams has the only ranch in the area, although many residents own horses on smaller properties and are fighting to preserve its rural, equestrian-friendly atmosphere.

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