Horse Fatally Struck on North Carolina Seaside, Driver Charged with DWI

A nonprofit is remembering a “very particular younger horse” who authorities stated was fatally struck by an impaired SUV driver on a North Carolina seaside.

On Saturday, June 14, round 12 a.m. native time, the Currituck County Sheriff’s Workplace (CCSO) responded to a name a couple of “collision” between a automobile and a horse on the county’s milepost 19 checkpoint.

The horse was “killed on affect” when a 26-year-old driver, Shannon Seamster, struck the animal along with her Chevrolet Tahoe, the CCSO wrote on Facebook. Seamster’s automobile was then towed, and he or she was charged with DWI and issued a $2,500 secured bond, per the workplace.

The CCSO then notified the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF) nonprofit, which posted a tribute to the 5-year-old horse on June 14.

A spokesperson for the CCSO didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for added data on Sunday, June 15.

The driving force faces a misdemeanor cost and was later launched from the Currituck Detention Heart after posting bond, in line with native journalist Sam Walker’s Patreon.

The horse has since been recognized as Alexander, a 5-year-old stallion, who the CWHF wrote was “hit and killed on the seaside.”

The nonprofit, which regularly posts pictures of horses strolling round a neighborhood seaside in North Carolina, shared three photos of Alexander by the water because it posted a tribute. “Presently, we do not need any further particulars to share concerning the nature of the collision or the driving force; that’s within the palms of legislation enforcement,” the CWHF wrote. “We wish to be extraordinarily cautious to not speculate or unfold misinformation.”

“What we are able to say for certain proper now’s that this can be a large loss for the herd and for these of us who’re shut to those horses and work so laborious to guard them,” the group added. “Alex was a really particular younger horse, and lots of further effort went into conserving him wild and free.”

Per the nonprofit, Alexander survived his first two years of life “regardless of some extraordinary challenges” and ultimately “grew up into an attractive younger stallion” with “a brilliant future forward of him.”

The horse was additionally a part of a “critically endangered” inhabitants. The mission of the CWHF is “to guard, preserve, and responsibly handle” the herd of Corolla wild horses on the northernmost Currituck Outer Banks, and to “promote the continued preservation of [the] land as a everlasting sanctuary” for the horses, per its website.

“He was the final of his mom’s offspring and we had excessive hopes that he would keep on the household line,” the nonprofit wrote. “Alex’s genetics can by no means get replaced, and in a critically endangered inhabitants that may be a devastating blow.”

The horse fund inspired locals to “let this tragedy function a reminder to be extraordinarily cautious when driving on the 4×4.”

“Pay attention to your environment and drive slowly and thoroughly — particularly at night time,” the group added.