Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger said since his decision to withdraw the third and final case of animal abuse charges filed against a horse owner, he’s been criticized.

“They say I’m not an animal lover. This had nothing to do with being an animal lover or not. This had to do with whether or not we could prosecute these cases,” Goldinger said. “I follow the letter of the law.”

Goldinger’s office on Tuesday withdrew all 23 counts against 57-year-old Elan Welter-Lewis of Clearfield Township.

Since withdrawing the case against Welter-Lewis, Goldinger said he has received at least 25 e-mails from people who disagree with his decision, many of whom claim to have seen photographs of the horses.

“I’ve never seen any photographs,” Goldinger said. “But if they are accurate that means someone is sharing our evidence. That taints the evidence ... and even if these pictures exist, they would not make or break a case. I know all the other issues involved, and we would not have won these cases.”