Check on horse ends in arrest

A Clearlake man armed with a rifle threatened to shoot animal control officers examining a horse on his property Thursday afternoon, police said.

"Everything was fine. Then he freaks out on us," said Lake County Animal Control Officer Terrie Flynn. "I was very scared."

Michael Reid, 52, was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and exhibiting a firearm in a threatening manner, according to Clearlake police.

He remained in custody Thursday evening. His wife, Michelle, was not home at the time, officials said, and she could not be reached for comment.

The incident began when Flynn and her supervisor, Morgan Hermann, went to check on an old, thin horse being boarded on Reid's property on Reid Lane.

Flynn said Reid was confrontational when they arrived, but later calmed down and told them the horse was in the barn and to check on it.

"He was fine talking about the horse," Hermann said.

Reid became agitated when the officers noted the horse had no water in its stall, she said.

"The water thing triggered something, and he went crazy," she said. "He said he was going into the house to get a gun and was going to shoot us."

The two women ran toward their trucks, but Reid already had retrieved the rifle from his house and was standing on the porch by the time they reached the vehicles, they said.

"He said, 'I'm going to shoot your windows out, get off my property,' " Flynn said. "I said, 'I'm leaving. Don't shoot me.' "

The women got into their vehicles, parked one behind the other, drove away and phoned police.

"It was crazy," Hermann said.

The women said they were shaking in fear, but they returned to continue the checkup on the horse after Reid was arrested.

No one was being blamed for the horse's thin condition, Hermann said.

The gelding was an estimated 35 years old, and its condition was likely caused by its age, she said.

The animal's owner decided to have it put down after the incident Thursday, Hermann said.

Hermann said she knows of no other armed threats against officers during her five years with the department.

But confrontations are known to happen, and the incident should be a wake-up call for county officials, the women said.

Both plan to ask Lake County supervisors to buy them additional protective gear, such as bullet-resistant vests and possibly Taser stun guns.

"We need something," Hermann said. "All we have is pepper spray."

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@ pressdemocrat.com.