Rudolph “Rudy” Fulton (aka Rudolph Fulton), 58, was charged after about 63 cattle died after being deprived of “necessary food, drink and car to prevent suffering,” according to court documents.
Fulton was tasked to care for 300 cattle belonging to an Iowa couple. The couple found Fulton after he placed an advertisement in a magazine offering his land for grazing and to oversee them, according to previous Phoenix stories.
“The cattle that survived were examined by a vet,” according to the probable cause affidavit. “The vet stated the animals that were still living were in poor condition and had been starved and neglected.”
In late October, the cattle owners tried to recover their herd from Fulton, who had become unresponsive, according to the court documents.
When they arrived at Fulton’s ranch, “the cattle they could see from the road looked to be in poor health,” the documents state.
Muskogee County Sheriff’s deputies found several carcasses within 30 acres of their search of Fulton's property. All of the carcasses were in differing levels of decomposition.
During the investigation, 35 carcasses were found on Fulton’s 1,100 acres; seven carcasses were located in a neighboring field; two dog carcasses were found; four cattle died during the investigation; nine cattle had to be euthanized; and another 12 carcasses were found north of Fulton’s property.
The cattle were sickly. Ribs and hip bones were showing. Many were unable to stand, according to the affidavit.
“A calf lying close to the bull was also unable to get up when I approached,” Lt. Rickie Kubiak said in the affidavit.
Fulton remains free on $25,000 bond. His next court appearance is Dec. 3.
Cruelty to animals is punishable by up to five years in prison, according to Oklahoma State Courts Network.
REPEAT ANIMAL ABUSER
This is not the first time Fulton has been accused of neglecting cattle he was paid to pasture on his land.
Kim Baldwin, of McPherson County, Kan., said she and her husband responded to an ad in "High Plains Journal" advertising a grass pasture. As a result, they sent about 100 head of cattle to be pastured on Fulton's property, because that summer they were experiencing drought conditions, Baldwin said.
She called Fulton to touch base and "received a lot of run-arounds," Baldwin said. "He would say everything was fine, that the pasture was getting rain."
Baldwin and her husband visited their cows in November 2011 and found they were "very malnourished" and were missing cattle, she said.
"The cows were really, really low in weight, especially our momma cows," Baldwin said. "Rudy didn't give an explanation, he just said they were thinner than he'd like ..."
While still on his property, the Baldwins fed their cattle on corn stalks and gave them growers ration to try to add weight, she said.
Before they shipped their cows back to McPherson County, they had a veterinarian check them out and he was concerned about their condition, Baldwin said. The vet said "he would be surprised if all the cattle made it home," she said.
When they got their cattle home they fed them on their farm but had to sell part of the herd because they weren't prepared to feed that many, Baldwin said. At that time, cattle prices were high and they lost money because they had to sell undernourished cows, she said.
They have a few cattle on their property, but grain farming is their main source of income — corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum, which they sell for both cattle and human consumption, Baldwin said.
According to court records, the Baldwins sued Fulton on June 21, 2012 in civil court in Muskogee County for negligence and asked for an excess of $10,000. Court records indicate the judge sent the suit to mediation and the case was settled in September.
I observed two sick cattle in the pen next to Rudy's residence. The bull was unable to get up when I approached. The bull appeared to be in bad shape. The ribs and hip bones could be seen under the skin. A calf lying close to the bull was also unable to get up. The calf had green snot coming from its nostrils.... I came across a collection of carcasses. There appeared to be five cattle carcasses, including calves and cows, and two dog carcasses... came across a cow that had fallen into a ravine. The cow was unable to get up and had both hind legs splayed out behind her.
During the next few days, 35 carcasses were located.
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| Rudy Fulton's property, where police say he knowingly starved dozens of cattle and at least three dogs to death |
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