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[RC] Missing Arabs - Stephanie E Caldwell

I thought someone here might be able to help this lady...

Steph

-------- Original Message --------
From:   Darlainok@xxxxxxx


I haven't been online in quite sometime due to my husband's illness. I have remained a member and kept up with everything that is going on but spend any free time taking care of the family and our horses. I am asking for your help now as our lives have now taken another hit in the loss of our two Arabians. Below you will find the details that I sent to the sheriff and to Netposse. They will be releasing an alert soon. Please forward this to anyone that you think can help in the Oklahoma area. Thanks in Advance. Darla PS. You may share my email and I will give more details and forward pictures if needed. I work from 2 to 10pm for the next 4 nights so will reply after work or in the mornings before.

My husband, Mike Williams, and I, Darla Williams used to live in
Seminole, OK. I managed the Walgreens Pharmacy in Shawnee. In November
of 1998 I imported 9 straight Egyptian colts from Canada. I kept 2 and
named them Lightning and Thunder. We lived there until I was offered a
bigger 24 hour store in Texarkana, TX.

In October of 2004 my husband became seriously ill. All the doctors were
baffled. He was 46 at the time. Little league coach, vice president of
the Maud FFA. Our children and our horses are our life. His symptoms
were that of severe Parkinson's. But he progressed in months to where
the normal disease progression would have been years. We visited Mayo
clinic in Scottsdale, AZ twice in an attempt to diagnose it further. At
the time we had 30 head of horses. Within a month or two of his illness
hitting him I was doing it all. Running the tractor to move round bales
fixing and building fence the whole works along with managing a busy
pharmacy and taking care of the 3 children still at home. I started
reducing my herd size. It's all I could do and I got it down to what we
deem lifers our riding horses. His liver started failing next and I am
now giving him injections weekly along with all the Parkinson's meds.

Mike's uncle contacted us last year saying one of Mike's distant cousins
was looking for a couple of horses that he and his wife could ride.
Their names were (Contact Me for their actual names). He assured me that
they would take good care of them and that it would lighten my load
some. We conversed by phone several times and I reiterated that these
were Arabians. They aren't like quarter horses and that they could never
be separated because they were so strongly bonded that it could kill
them, and that they were never to be sold. If something happened, like
they were too much for them, or didn't like them or whatever they were
to call us and we would come get them.

We still like our farrier so much from Oklahoma, that we pay her to come
down to Texas to do our horses. I told them that I would help them out
and bring them to Seminole, to Nancy's house and we could meet there. A
friend, DJ, and also a Seminole police officer was there that day and he
helped us load them in the trailer. I reiterated again on how they were
never to be sold but come back to me, but as long as they were taking
good care of them and they liked them, then they could keep them to ride
without payment. DJ gave them his number as he is also an excellent
trainer and Nancy gave them her card and told them if there were any
problems to just call and they would either help or come and get them.

My husband's brother, Chris, aged 44 had a heart attack coming home from
work and ran head on into a tree the week before last. I made Mike a bed
in the back of our Yukon to get him up to Northern Arkansas to attend
the funeral. While we were there Uncle Mike talked to my husband and
said that he thought Clark might be having a little trouble with
Lightning. He was rearing up with him. Mike told him that we would give
him a call when we got home. We got home late Tuesday night and I called
them on Wednesday. The number that I had for them, was disconnected. So
I called uncle Mike's house and got his wife Sue. I told her that I was
looking for Clark's current number and apparently I didn't have it or
knew it was changed. She told me that it was her understanding that they
sold the horses a couple of months ago at a sale barn and moved up near
Enid, OK with no forwarding address or phone. Previously they had been
in Jennings, OK . I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't even finish
talking to her, I had to give the phone to my husband. Aunt Sue said
that they didn't want to tell us at the funeral because we were already
in emotional turmoil and they didn't want to make it worse as this makes
Mike shaking get much worse when he gets upset. They told them that they
tried to call us but never got in touch with us so they sold them.

We have tried now for over a week to get them to call us. Uncle Mike
called Clark's dad and we have called every other relative we could
think of to try and find a current address or number and can find
nothing. We told them that if we didn't hear from them in a week we
would be forced to file charges. Mike talked to Uncle Mike on his cell
phone letting him know what was about to happen and all we wanted was
our horses back. Just call us and we would work something out. If I had
to go buy them back myself I would have and dealt with them later. I
just want my babies. But no one will call us. I finally searched on the
Internet and found the number of Clark, Sr. in Mannsford, OK. I talked
to Clark Jr's Mom at first. I emplored to her to please just let us know
where the horses were. She said that Clark and Lesleigh didn't know
where they were. I told her that I had already talked to the sheriff and
to a lawyer and I didn't want to get anyone in trouble but was going to
be force to because no one would call us and that all we wanted was the
horses back. Her husband then took over the phone and yelled at me that
they tried to call you, and you know they tried to call you and you gave
them those horses and this conversation is over and he hung up.

I called Jerry, the lawyer, back and told him what had just happened. I
couldn't believe it. I guess I have always looked for the good in people
and expect them to do the right thing, I couldn't believe that with us
letting them know that all we wanted was our horses back and not to
cause them any trouble and they were so nasty to me.

I have been calling Sale barns from Tulsa all the way to Enid with no
luck yet. They could have been sold at any sale barn anywhere in
between. I filed a report with the Seminole County Sheriff's office
because that is the place where they took possession of them, and the
lawyer is going to file criminal charges against them.

I have their lineage all the way back to the original Egyptian Arabians
and I have all of their Canadian registration papers with their import
documents as well. My greatest fear is that they were sold to a kill
buyer. I'm not sleeping at night and Mike has starting his shaking
again. It has upset him as much as it has upset me. I hope ya'll can help.
Darla Williams



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