MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. — Someone in southern Virginia is shooting farm animals, apparently for fun. Now, the latest target is a horse that was shot in the face at close range.

"This was malicious," said horse owner Steve Brantley. "It was no accident."

Brantley can't believe someone shot his quarterhorse, named Lacy, in the face.

"The barrel wasn't more than three foot from her nose," he said.

The shotgun pellets blew a hole the size of a golf ball in the animal's face. Lacy was treated by a local veterinarian and wears medical wadding to plug the hole in her face.

"(I) just don't have any idea why somebody would do it, except meanness," said Brantley.

Mecklenburg County, Va., authorities said what happened to Lacy wasn't an isolated incident. There have been reports that cattle and goats have been shot at close range.

"Justice for Lacy" posters are now mounted throughout the La Crosse, Va., area, asking for information that could lead to an arrest. Right now, investigators are starving for leads.

"We have very little evidence at this time," said Mecklenburg County sheriff's investigator Chris Whittenmore. "We are almost at a standstill."

"This isn't going to stop unless they are caught doing this," said Brantley. "We've had several people to call, and most of them are almost as mad as I was."

For now, Brantley will focus his energy on helping Lacy make a full recovery. That could come full-circle in April, when Lacy's due to give birth.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Mecklenburg County, Va., Sheriff's Office at

(888) 624-2207

.