The sheep had a ruptured abscess on its head with "maggots pouring out" of the wound, according to Montgomery's Animal Control Officer Ingrid Anna Ilkiw, a witness called Wednesday during a preliminary hearing in the animal cruelty case of Emiliano Zapata.
Ilkiw was one of four prosecution witnesses who described the horrors they saw at the farm during Wednesday's hearing in Town Court.
Hecht testified that he sought a search warrant in October after trying to contact Zapata, who was renting the property.
State Trooper Thomas Garcia testified that a cow's skull and hooves were found in a pile of burned garbage at the farm, resulting in charges of unlawful burning.
Zapata's lawyers, John Ingrassia and Michael Collado, argued that Ilkiw was investigating outside of her jurisdiction: the Town of Montgomery and its three villages.
Ingrassia said there were "warrantless entries" onto the property and "unlawful government conduct" before the warrant was executed.
The preliminary hearing will continue at 4 p.m. March 13 at Town Court, 18 Bull Road.
(Record Online - Mar 1, 2017)
Earlier:
- New York: Emiliano Zapata, 47, charged with animal cruelty after farm slaughterhouse raided
- New York: Emiliano Zapata, 47, pleads not guilty to animal cruelty
- New York: The Chief of Hudson Valley SPCA Law Enforcement Division Gene Hecht said it's one of the worst cases of animal abuse he's ever seen. So why is the DA's Office trying to let Emiliano Zapata off the hook with a guilty plea of just 1 count of cruelty and a 30-day probation sentence when he's accused of abusing and neglecting nearly 200 animals???