WICHITA COUNTY ( KFDX/KJTL ) — An Iowa Park woman has five counts of animal cruelty after Wichita County authorities and neighbors rescued all but one animal trapped in the mud of a pond they went into seeking water.

Deputies said one exhausted donkey was unable to keep his head above the mud and drowned while they were waiting for help and equipment.

The owner of the animals, Karen Molina Thompson, could not be located but was later arrested in a traffic stop near the property at Van Loh Road and FM 368.

On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, a Wichita County deputy went to check a report of a donkey stuck in the mud of a pond on the property. When he arrived, he found donkeys, cows, and a bull stuck in the pond, with one donkey and a cow struggling to keep their heads above the mud.

The deputy said the livestock apparently went into the mud because there was no other water available in their fenced-in area, and they could smell water in the mud.

The sheriff’s office attempted to locate Thompson by phone but could not, and Wichita Falls police went to her residence in the city but could not locate her.

While waiting for help to arrive, the deputy said the exhausted donkey could no longer keep his head up and drowned in the mud.

Other deputies and neighbors arrived with a tractor and were able to get the other animals out of the mud, but they kept trying to get back into the pond until a neighbor brought a 100-gallon tank of water, which the deputy says was all drunk within minutes.

The surviving animals were seized and taken to The Humane Society.

The deputy went to the traffic stop and arrested Thompson for cruelty to animals and misdemeanors. This is not her first time in jail, with four other arrests.

In 2019, she was arrested for refusing to give her name and resisting a fire marshal’s attempt to give her a citation for illegal outdoor burning on City View Drive.

In 2022, she was arrested for theft from Home Depot when authorities said she had rented equipment but had not returned it. Officers said they located the equipment on her property with the GPS device attached to an excavator.

They said a skid steer was partially buried, and they also found the excavator and two trailers on the property that were reported stolen.

Thompson also has a harassment case pending, which was filed by City View ISD last September. District officials said she was calling repeatedly and sent a lengthy email saying she wanted to report a crime despite them telling her to call the police.

A deputy sent her a certified letter stating that a harassment charge was being filed and advising her to cease contacting City View ISD, but she said she never signed for the letter. The email sent to City View mentioned crimes of obstruction of justice, malfeasance, and racketeering.

A second certified letter was sent informing Thompson a second harassment case was being filed because of calls she made to the administration alleging they were contributing to sex trafficking after she saw City View students returning to the school after an out-of-town trip.

The investigator said Thompson recorded a video of the students being picked up by their parents and posted it on YouTube. She was also seen recording video of students and staff from her residence across the street.

The second certified letter also informed Thompson she was banned from all City View ISD property.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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