The Mormon Manacler, a burglary and a three legged horse.

Just when the Joyce McKinney story seemed to have plumbed the depths of absurdity (see my earlier post ) something new turns up. It now seems that McKinney is wanted wanted on burglary charges involving a three-legged horse in the United States. According to the Sunday Times McKinney allegedly told a 15-year-old boy to break into a house in Tennessee so that she could get money to buy a false leg for her beloved horse.

A police report says that she was arrested in November 2004 in Tennessee in a van with the 15-year-old boy. Ms McKinney, then living in neighbouring North Carolina, needed money to help her three-legged horse, said David Crockett, her lawyer in the case. “She loved it dearly,” said Mr Crockett. “She was a rather bizarre character, and seems to have a strange circumstance now.” He said he had not heard from her since she skipped a court date in early 2005 but recognised her in television coverage of the dog-cloning in South Korea.

She was charged in 2004 with criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary, contributing to the delinquency of a minor. However, she skipped a court summons in early 2005 but prosecutors may now revive the case after learning of her whereabouts. “It will depend on where she is now, how important the case is, how much it would cost the taxpayers and whether witnesses are still around,” said Melanie Widener, an assistant district attorney in Carter County, Tennessee.

The sheriff said that there was also an outstanding warrant for her arrest for a separate offence of allegedly “communicating threats”.

The three-legged horse was unavailable for comment