HOUSTON -- A Grimes County man posted a $27,000 bond Monday after he was arrested on animal abuse charges, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Deputies with the Grimes County Sheriff's Department said Jason Wenzel, 29, left more than 20 horses and mules to die without any food or water on his Plantersville property.

Grimes County Deputy Martha Ramirez said six of the animals were either dead when they were discovered or died as they were moved off Wenzel's property. The carcass of a dead horse was found tied up to a tree.

Sheriff Don Sowell said some of the surviving animals might not recover from the abuse.

Wenzel was charged with a state jail felony for allegedly tying a horse by its hind legs to a tree, where it died. He also faces 24 Class A misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

If convicted, Wenzel could face more than 2 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine for the state felony, and a year behind bars and a $1,000 fine for each misdemeanor count.

Once the animals are nursed back to health by the Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, they will be up for adoption.

For information on adopting an animal, call (888) 542-5163.