Officer Shaun Harder Pleaded Not Guilty To Aggravated Menacing

An Elmore police officer and humane society volunteer has denied threatening members of a horse rescue group last month on his Facebook page.

Shaun Harder, 23, Elmore, pleaded not guilty today to one misdemeanor count of aggravated menacing in Ottawa County Municipal Court. He was released on a recognizance bond and will have a pre-trial next month, said his attorney, Tom DeBacco of Port Clinton.

Harder is charged with posting a message on Facebook that threatened Arabian Horse Rescue, a group that has on-going disagreements with the Humane Society of Ottawa County over malnourished horses the humane society confiscated in January from Robin Vess’ Carroll Township farm.

“The horses need ppl (sic.) like us; the Arabian rescue group needs to be slaughtered like livestock,” authorities allege Harder wrote.

Authorities arrested Harder Friday, and he spent the weekend in jail, said Detective Amy Harrell of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.

This comes after the FBI agents from Toledo investigated the posting when ARM’s attorney, Leonard Yelsky of Toledo, called them and reported it, she said. They decided not to charge him federally and turned the case over to the sheriff’s office.