In the shadow of the Butler County district attorney’s decision to withdraw animal abuse charges against a Fairview Township man, the horse owner now is seeking return of his animals.

But according to court records, 49-year-old Brian Arendosh has reason to believe some of his animals might have been sold since a rescue group took them on March 21.

Arendosh was charged by state police with three dozen counts of animal cruelty relating to six horses on his Cherry Road homestead: two paint horses, two quarter horses and two thoroughbreds.

Representatives of the equine group and a state trooper claimed the horses had been abused. But Arendosh defended his care of the animals, saying they were properly housed, fed and watered.

According to court records filed by Arendosh, eight horses were removed from his property that day by the Equine Angels Rescue of Cabot.

The paperwork states that Arendosh was not told where his animals were taken, but he believes that based on information on the rescue group’s website that the horses were either offered for sale or sold.

Subsequently, District Attorney Rich Goldinger withdrew the charges against Arendosh.

The recent court filing by Butler lawyer Alexander Lindsay alleges prosecutors opted to back off the prosecution because the search of Arendosh’s property and the seizure of his animals had been illegal.

Goldinger, who could not be reached for this report, earlier said of his decision to withdraw the cases: “In the interest in justice and using our prosecutorial discretion, we withdrew the citations.”

Lindsay now is asking county Judge Timothy McCune to order the return of the seized horses. McCune will hear the arguments Wednesday.

Arendosh is one of five horse owners making the same demand of the rescue group and the state police in a lawsuit pending in federal court.