By GvilleTX Newsroom
Amanda Mercedes Grady was booked in Grayson County on Aug. 13, 2026, on five counts the county judicial-records search describes as cruelty to livestock involving neglect or overwork, in a case tied to a sheriff’s office seizure of 39 horses from a property on U.S. 82 near Sherman, according to county records and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office. For Cooke County readers, the case is close to home: the property sits along the same North Texas livestock corridor that runs through Gainesville and the Red River country, and state law gives such cases both a criminal track and a separate civil process for what happens to the animals.
The sheriff’s office said its investigation involved a property in the 2600 block of U.S. 82 near Sherman. Sheriff’s officials said investigators found horses in poor condition and without adequate access to food, water and shelter. The agency said the horses were seized for veterinary attention and continuing care.
Jimmy Perry Grady had been arrested earlier in the same sheriff’s office animal-cruelty investigation and charged with cruelty to livestock animals, the agency said. The sheriff’s office said the Grady investigation remains open and that more charges could be filed.
The allegations have not been proven in court. The public record cited for Amanda Grady lists the reported counts; the sheriff’s office statement describes what investigators said they found at the property.
Texas Penal Code Section 42.09 covers livestock-cruelty accusations involving the failure, without reasonable cause, to supply the food, water or care needed to keep a livestock animal healthy. The same section includes horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and hinnies in the livestock-animal definition.
A seizure brings a second set of court questions beyond the booking entry. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 821 lays out the civil process for animals alleged to have been cruelly treated, including seizure, a hearing, return or other disposition, sale and appeal. The Texas Justice Court Training Center maintains standard forms for those cases, including warrant applications, seizure warrants, hearing notices, public-auction notices and appeal documents.
For livestock owners and neighbors, that distinction is practical. The criminal case addresses whether the state can prove the charged offense. The civil process can decide where animals are kept, fed, watered, sheltered and treated while the legal process moves forward.
The Grayson County Clerk says its office maintains County Court at Law Nos. 1 and 2 misdemeanor records and provides an online judicial-records search for public records. The Amanda Grady booking information cited in this report is attributed to that county search.
_Editor's note: Everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law._
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