Eugene, Ore. – A woman who has been the center of repeated controversy among equestrians following her role in a notorious 2019 animal neglect case involving over 60 horses has been sentenced to three years in prison as part of a plea deal orchestrated by state prosecutors.
Raina McKenzie Ott, 25, was sentenced earlier today in Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene as part of a plea deal on charges related to years of ongoing probation violations following her past conviction for neglecting multiple horses, as well as newer charges outlined in an indictment by a Lane County grand jury.
The indictment included forty-one counts, including animal neglect, theft, identity theft, and livestock violations. The new animal neglect charges involved both dogs and cattle.
The charges also alleged numerous frauds that instead five private individuals. Court documents reveal that Ott is ordered to pay a total restitution of over $13,000 to those individuals, and nearly another $9,000 to the Greenhill Humane Society.
Ott was sentenced to a total of three years in prison on the charges related to first-degree animal neglect. A copy of the sentencing outline can be viewed here. She will also serve three years of post-prison supervision.
As part of the deal, Ott has pled guilty to five counts of identity theft, five counts of theft in the first degree, three counts of animal neglect in the first degree, and two counts of animal neglect in the second degree.
Several of Ott’s charges also stemmed from repeated thefts from a Coastal Farm & Ranch Store within weeks following her previous release after a forty-five-day jail sentence last summer.
That sentence also followed Ott’s contentious involvement with Equestrian Media Group reporters. In April 2023, Ott made false claims of trespassing to police, which resulted in an illegal detainment of this reporter by Lane County Sheriff’s Deputy.
Ott’s claims stemmed from photography from a public highway adjacent to property leased by the Ott’s, where they operated an illegal dog and horse breeding business, as well as an interview being conducted with a neighbor, which was ongoing when police arrived.
A formal complaint brought by Equestrian Media Group with the sheriff’s office eventually resulted in corrective action that the LCSO refused to specify or disclose. This publication was also led to believe that the complaint was handled by the agency’s internal affairs, though it was later discovered that it was handled by the deputy’s patrol supervisor.
It was later determined the Otts were also residing in trailers on the property owned by retired attorney James Jagger. The property was also the site of a warrant reportedly executed months ago by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Services.
According to the Oregon State Bar, the Oregon Supreme Court suspended Jagger’s license to practice law for 90 days in 2015, just years after a previous six-month suspension.
Equestrian Media Group reported on Ott having been trespassed by Coastal Farm following tips brought forward by a store employee, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the company.
Ott’s Lane County cases have been handled by a special prosecutor from the Oregon DOJ at the request of the Lane County District Attorney. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jacob Kamins, the State’s Animal Abuse Resource Prosecutor, has handled Ott’s Lane County cases since 2020.
Ott was also previously convicted in 2018 of a single felony in the county of theft in the first degree in connection with a local Walmart. She later served twenty days in county jail.
She was arrested on multiple warrants last month after repeatedly failing to appear for numerous court cases. Ott has remained in custody since. Prosecutors alleged in a recent court filing that she posed a risk of
Equestrian Media Group then uncovered that her recent arrest also included a new warrant issued days before her arrest on even more charges brought by Linn County prosecutors, who alleged Ott defrauded a livestock auction in Lebanon, Oregon.
Subsequently, Equestrian Media Group obtained the secret indictment from a Linn County grand jury, which was later released in court records.
Linn County is located directly north of Lane Country in Oregon.
Numerous sources had also alleged that the auction’s owners knew of Ott’s past convictions and probation limitations on owning livestock despite conducting business with her, something the owner also admitted when reached by Equestrian Media Group for comment.
Ott is charged with defrauding that business of over $11,000 worth of cattle.
Ott is scheduled to return to court in mid-June regarding the separate charges in Linn County.
Following the publication of this story, Equestrian Media Group obtained a copy of Ott’s formal judgment outlining additional details of her sentence.
That included a total restitution of approximately $21,614. That included $8,293 to the Greenhill Humane Society and another $13,320 between five separate individual victims who Ott had defrauded.
Ott is also prohibited from owning domestic animals or cattle for fifteen years, among other conditions.
Note: This story was updated on May 24th at 3:30pm to include additional details regarding Ott’s sentence from court documents that were not yet available at time of original publication.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates as we are working to seek comment from officials.
Join the discussion on Facebook and X (formally Twitter).
