Washington: Seth Snook, who sells "artisan cheese" under the name Pleasant Valley Dairy, starved dozens of livestock animals to death. He was given a deal that will wipe his animal cruelty charges off his record; was also given his surviving livestock back so he can finish starving them to death

WASHINGTON -- A Whatcom County dairy farmer will have his surviving cows returned to him, about 2 ½ months after he was charged with starving his livestock to death.

Seth Daniel Snook, 35, owner of Snook Brook Farms, entered into an agreement – technically not a plea – Tuesday that dismisses three counts of felony animal cruelty, and reduces two other counts to misdemeanors that will be dismissed if he keeps a clean record.

 

 

Prosecutors charged Snook in April with starving livestock at the family farm at 6804 Kickerville Road, northwest of Ferndale. He told an animal control officer from the Whatcom Humane Society that he didn’t have the money to feed his cows. His family had fallen on hard times when Snook’s wife underwent a craniotomy in 2016, according to the defense.

At least 28 animals were starved or starving to death at Snook’s farm, according to the reports from animal control. One officer noted carcasses of cows littered the farm, and she saw “shallow mass graves everywhere she walked.”

One pig died on the farm, too, and when a warrant was carried out “much later,” the carcass was found still in the same stall on the farm, wrote the deputy prosecutor, Eric Richey, in a court filing.

Snook was charged with felony animal cruelty toward the pig and four specific cows. The cows were described as skeletal and sickly, emaciated and lethargic, with dull eyes. A veterinarian examined the five animals and graded each as the worst possible condition on a 1 to 5 scale: It appeared they had been neglected for about six months.

Snook’s defense has countered that the humane society’s reports were highly misleading; that the pig and one cow didn’t belong to him; and the cows were not being starved, but were at a point in the so-called “drying” period when dairy cows look slimmest. Snook’s attorney has filed a claim of damages against Whatcom County and the humane society for defamation, among other alleged injustices.

Charging papers say other farmers offered to help Snook sell the cows, and he accepted, but did not follow through. However, text messages reprinted in court filings by the defense show Snook made a deal with animal control on April 17 to take his “girls,” as he called the cows, to the dairy auction in two days, not to the beef auction where they would become “fast food.” A warrant to remove the cows was carried out at Snook’s farm April 18. Two cows were euthanized by gunshot at the farm that night at the humane society’s direction, according to a defense motion filed in court last week.

Snook, whose family makes artisan cheese under the brand Pleasant Valley Dairy, was booked into jail May 12. He was released minutes later with no bail required, jail records show. As he awaited trial many of the cows were euthanized.

Snook’s attorney, Emily Beschen, reviewed the available medical records and argued there was “no medical necessity” to kill 13 of those cows. Six more cows held in King County were reported by the humane society to be dead – an error that was later passed on by the prosecutor in court.

As it turned out the six cows were alive. Snook will get those cows back, in the deal he entered into Tuesday afternoon.

Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis approved a plan where Snook’s farm must be inspected each month by a licensed veterinarian. Snook has to pay fees for carcass removal, veterinary bills, and feed for the living cows from the past two months. He’s scheduled to go in front of a judge next year for a progress review.

Puff piece on Pleasant Valley Dairy before we found out they starve their animals to death

Making cheese at Pleasant Valley Dairy is a family affair. Joyce Snook makes the cheese, her son, Seth, oversees the dairy and her daughter, Mattie, runs the farm store. Over the years, they’ve all taken their turns at making cheese, Mattie said, so not a day of production is missed if someone is ill.

Joyce first learned how to make cheese from her father, who started the dairy farm in 1963 and began making cheese about ten years after that.
“They made the first batch in the kitchen,” Joyce said.

The farm has since grown to include 60 cows that produce enough milk to sell to Darigold and make about 130 pounds of cheese a day. And the farm now produces eight different cheeses: six varieties of gouda, a farmstead cheese, and mutschli, which is similar to Swiss cheese.

From the beginning, the goal has been to make wholesome cheese from the highest quality milk, Joyce said. For that reason, Pleasant Valley uses raw milk – meaning it hasn’t been pasteurized – to make its cheese, he said.

 

Remaining small and family-operated is another important goal for the dairy, Snook said. Pleasant Valley cheese is only available locally, and much of it is sold through its farm store.

“We don’t want to send a whole batch of cheese to California just because a few people down there want it,” Snook said, referencing to the amount of fuel it takes to deliver a few pounds of cheese.

Basically, her motto is that cheese produced here should be enjoyed here.

So his excuse is that his wife had medical issues. So where was his mother Joyce Snook? Where was his sister Mattie Snook? Why didn't they take control and sell off these animals instead of slowly starving them to death? 

(The Bellingham Herald - July 12, 2017)

Earlier:

• Washington: Seth Snook, owner of Snook Brook Farms who sells cheese under the name Pleasant Valley Dairy, starved dozens of animals to death, say police

Update to case:

• Washington: Ferndale cow cruelty case against Seth Snook doomed by animal control missteps; farmer sues county

Australia: Duncan Dalton and his wife Jessica Dalton abandoned nearly 200 animals to starve to death

AUSTRALIA -- A Tasmanian farmer who abandoned almost 200 cows when he and his wife walked off their property has been fined $12,000.

It is the first case of its kind to come before a court in Tasmania.

Duncan Edward Dalton was charged with four counts of management of animals resulting in a reasonable likelihood of unreasonable suffering, seven counts of aggravated cruelty, three counts of cruelty to animals, and one count of aggravated cruelty.

His wife Jessica Rose Dalton was originally also charged with the same offences, but the allegations against her were discontinued in return for Duncan Dalton pleading guilty to all charges.

Magistrate Reg Marron fined Dalton $12,000 and sentenced him to six months’ jail, but wholly suspended it on the condition he be of good behavior for two years.

The Magistrates Court heard the couple left their property at Naracoopa on King Island in 2014, abandoning pregnant cows, calves and other livestock.

Crown Prosecutor Simon Nicholson said by the time the cattle were discovered, many were in such a bad way they had to be put down.

“The great proportion of cattle were calving and there was no feed or water left for them,” Mr Nicholson said in his submissions to the court. “The condition of the animals was generally poor to very poor.

“The majority of the animals found that were not dead were down, calving or had to be humanely shot.”

Mr Nicholson said Dalton had worked in the dairy industry since he was 13 and would have known the risk to the animals.

DALTONS CLAIM THEY STARVED THEIR ANIMALS TO DEATH BECAUSE THEY WERE 'STRESSED OUT'

The court has previously heard the couple was under financial stress at the time and had filed for bankruptcy.

The Daltons’ lawyer Mark Doyle said they had shown “genuine remorse” and a “genuine love and care for animals”.

He told Magistrate Marron today that Duncan Dalton continued to be employed in the industry in Victoria and “is well regarded”.

The couple is now managing a farm of 600 cattle in Sale, Victoria.

(newsgrio.com - May 2, 2017)

United Kingdom: Owen Nichol, 18, admits to horrific animal cruelty including "punching calves, kicking cows in the face, kicking calves to make them stand up, twisting cows' tails and slamming metal gates into them, pinning calves to the ground, shouting obscenities and repeatedly kicking and slapping nursing cows."

UNITED KINGDOM -- A teenager who carried out the worst case of animal abuse a top vet has ever seen has a nervous wait to see if he gets jailed.

Apprentice stockman Owen Nichol, 18, of Buckland Road, Taunton, was filmed raining down blows on cows, slamming calves onto the ground and continuously swearing at the animal.

The undercover footage taken at Pyrland Farm, in Cheddon Road, Taunton, by the Animal Equity charity shows him punching calves, kicking cows in the face, kicking calves to make them stand up, twisting cows' tails and slamming metal gates into them, pinning calves to the ground, shouting obscenities and repeatedly kicking and slapping nursing cows.

Nichol pleaded guilty at Taunton Magistrates' Court today (Monday) to causing unnecessary suffering to one or more cows by kicking or hitting them and to causing unnecessary suffering to one of more calves by throwing them to the floor, and kicking and stamping on them.

Horrified farm owner James Read, whose farm has exemplary standards of animal welfare according to recent inspections, sacked Nichol after the video came to light and has since held a training workshop for all staff.

Lindi Meyer, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the violence was "unprovoked and totally unnecessary".

Ms Meyer said expert vet Andrew Biggs commented that the animals would have suffered "considerable distress" in what he described as "the worst example of abusive behaviour I have seen in 35 years" in his job.

OWEN NICHOL MAKES EXCUSES
The court heard that when interviewed by the RSPCA, Nichol said he was in a bad mood because his grandmother was in hospital and he had recently split with his girlfriend.

He told an inspector: "I felt absolutely disgusted with myself. I just flipped."

Chairman of the bench Jeff Collingwood adjourned the case until April 26 for pre-sentence reports, warning Nichol "all options are open" - guidelines recommend a punishment ranging from a community order up to 12 weeks' prison.

Mr Collingwood added: "In 23 years I have seen a number of RSPCA prosecutions and this is absolutely the worst - and I have seen some awful cases."

After the hearing, Dr Toni Shephard, executive director of Animal Equality UK, said: 'We are pleased that Owen Nichol has been convicted for his terrible violence against dairy cows and young calves, and we hope that he will receive the harshest sentence possible.

"We would like to thank the RSPCA for acting upon our evidence so quickly and bringing forward a prosecution for this unthinkable cruelty to vulnerable animals."

RSPCA Inspector John Pollock said: "The film is very graphic and very upsetting to watch. It was appalling and is horrible to see.

"It's no reflection on Pyrland Farm, which is a really good farm with high welfare standards."

(thisisthewestcountry.co.uk - April 3, 2017)

Oregon: Michael Hockensmith, 55, facing charges after dead, starving cattle discovered

OREGON -- Fourteen dead cattle were discovered Saturday at a property on Columbia Lane and South Edwards Road in Hermiston, which the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office is investigating as a case of animal neglect.

Another 15 cattle were so malnourished they could not be moved safely, according to Sheriff Terry Rowan. One calf was so weak it could not stand and had to be euthanized, Rowan said. None of the sick animals appeared to have enough food or water.

Authorities are working with a special prosecutor from Benton County who specializes in animal neglect cases, and reports should be turned in to the Umatilla County district attorney early this week.

Rowan said they will recommend pressing charges against the cattle owner, 55-year-old Michael Hockensmith of Hermiston.

For now, though the cattle have technically been seized, Rowan said the animals will be left in place due to their numbers and fragile health. Officers will be checking daily to make sure they receive proper care.

“We do not believe they can be transported without further loss,” Rowan said. “From this point forward, we’re just ensuring continued care.”

The incident was first reported Thursday, Jan. 5 by an anonymous caller who noticed seven dead cows that were clearly visible from across Columbia Lane. A search warrant was served Saturday, and Rowan said they found a total of 14 dead cattle — mostly yearling calves.

Fifteen more cows were badly malnourished, Rowan said, and separated from the rest of the herd where they were treated by veterinarians. During their investigation, officers found that a water trough for the sickest animals was frozen over with six inches of ice.

“They weren’t able to get to water for a couple of days,” Rowan said.

Some of the cattle were also very skinny, Rowan said, with their backbones and hip bones showing.

“These are Angus cattle that are typically well-rounded animals,” he said. “Our evaluation and evidence would point to neglect or inadequate feed.”

The bodies of the dead animals had been left outside for several days, Rowan said, though state law requires carcasses be buried or burned within 15 hours.

Hockensmith, who did not return calls Monday for comment, was apparently the only one caring for the animals. Rowan said Hockensmith seemed willing to work with the sheriff’s office to care for the animals while they remain on his property.

“Hopefully, we can create a partnership there to where he is willing to provide adequate care,” Rowan said. “We will just continue to monitor it.”

(East Oregonian - January 9, 2017)

Nebraska: Feedlot operator Steven Clason, 59, charged with animal cruelty after 93 cattle left to starve to death

NEBRASKA -- Authorities have charged a 59-year-old man with multiple animal cruelty felonies after finding 93 dead cattle at his Furnas County feed yard.

Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Vargas was accompanying Omaha-based Producers Livestock Credit Corp. on a trip to repossess cattle from Steven Clason on Jan. 18, according to an affidavit for his arrest.

Vargas and others found the bodies of 93 dead cattle and calves left to rot and be trampled by other cattle.

Producers Livestock Vice President Joel Petersen had been to the property outside Beaver City a few days earlier to inspect animals that had been used as collateral on a loan, according to documents in a bankruptcy case Clason filed Jan. 18 in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska.

Clason still had 900 to 1,000 cattle -- alive but in poor condition, Petersen said in an affidavit.

“The cattle were malnourished, their bones were visible through their hides and many had died. Dead animals lay in the feed bunks and in the yard,” Petersen wrote. “It appears Debtor (Clason) was feeding the remaining cattle over the top of carcasses.”

Water tanks for the animals were dry, documents said.

Court documents show Clason borrowed money on Sept. 22 to buy 2,182 head of cattle, of which he sold 919. As of Jan. 15, Clason owed the company $2.27 million.

When the deputy sheriff and Producers Livestock officials went to retrieve the remaining animals, Clason had blocked access to the feed yard with machinery, Petersen wrote.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Thomas Saladino issued an order on Jan. 20 allowing Producers Livestock to take possession of the remaining cattle, which Clason agreed to.

He has been charged with six felony counts of cruel neglect of livestock and six misdemeanor counts of improper disposal of carcasses.

Clason is out on $50,000 bond. Neither he nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

(Journal Star - Feb 6, 2016)

Ohio: Ionel Jura, 56, found guilty of abusing 8 goats in Boston Township

OHIO --  A jury found a Stow man guilty of neglecting and abusing eight goats and a calf behind his Boston Township car repair shop.

Ionel Jura, 56, was found guilty of nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and one count of allowing an animal to roam at-large. Two animal cruelty charges were dismissed.

The two-day trial started on Wednesday and ended about 5 p.m. Monday. There was no court on Thursday or Friday because of the holiday weekend.  The jury of five women and three men reached a verdict after about 90 minutes of deliberation.

Stow Municipal Court Judge Lisa Coates then sentenced Jura to five years of probation, 150 hours of community service with the Humane Society of Greater Akron, and to take an animal-care class. He will not be allowed to own farm animals for five years.

Jura will also have to pay a $750 fine and $1,200 in restitution to Happy Trails Animal Sanctuary in Ravenna. Happy Trails cared for the goats and calf after humane agents seized them during a June investigation.

Peninsula police received a tip June 14 that a calf was wandering on the side of Akron Cleveland Road near Jura's Boston Car Service. Police found the calf and kept it from wandering into the busy road, police reports say.

The officers knew the calf belonged to Jura because of 27 previous calls over two years involving roaming animals at Jura's business and a 2014 incident when one of Jura's goats was struck by a car, according to police reports.

Jura previously said he believes someone tampered with the calf's chain.

 

Officers also said there were signs of neglect. Investigators noted the calf needed veterinary care because it had been castrated with rubber bands, according to court records.

The Humane Society launched an investigation. A vet found the calf needed care and the goats were malnourished. Investigators also found that Jura never provided proper food, water or shelter for the goats.

Humane agents seized the animals June 15. There was no water, food or shelter on a particularly muggy day, investigators said in court records.

(cleveland.com - Nov 30, 2015)

Accused animal abuser, Dayle Kountz, asks judge to dismiss animal cruelty case

MONTANA -- A Bozeman arena owner has asked a judge to dismiss the animal cruelty charges against him, citing numerous reasons including lack of probable cause and unconstitutional statutes.

Defense attorneys for Dayle Kountz, owner of Kountz Arena on Stucky Road, filed numerous motions in Gallatin County District Court this week seeking to dismiss the case accusing Kountz of abusing his stallion Young Doc Bar and a calf.

Defense attorney Al Avignone called the prosecution’s case problematic. Law enforcement had closed the case against Kountz, but prosecutors proceeded to charge Kountz two months later, Avignone said.

Dayle Kountz

And, Avignone argued, the prosecution is based on incomplete and inaccurate information and a “defamatory social media campaign that displays great ignorance and mischaracterizations of the true circumstances surrounding (Young Doc Bar) and the calf.”

“The last thing Dayle Kountz would do is to mistreat, neglect or ‘torture’ (Young Doc Bar) or the calf,” Avignone wrote in his motion.

Kountz is facing felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and cruelty to animals, a second offense.

He is also charged with an alternative felony to the aggravated animal cruelty charge, but he can only be convicted of two total counts.

A five-day trial is scheduled for April.

The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office filed the charges against Kountz in May. He pleaded not guilty in June.

Prosecutors allege that Kountz tortured Young Doc Bar by withholding veterinary care following a serious laceration to the horse’s leg, which resulted in the horse slowly losing his hoof and a portion of his lower leg. The horse also suffered from bed sores and weight loss and was unable to stand for periods of time, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors also accuse Kountz of failing to provide care to his seriously ill calf.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Kountz Arena on March 28 to investigate animal cruelty allegations.

A veterinarian who examined Young Doc Bar and the calf recommended that they be euthanized. A deputy later instructed Kountz to put down the animals, which he did, court documents say.

A number of witnesses who were at the Kountz Arena for a horse show came forward and provided photographs and information to the sheriff’s office for further investigation.

According to Kountz’s motions, he had owned Young Doc Bar, or Tommy as Kountz called him, for 20 years.

“Tommy was like family to the Kountz family,” Avignone wrote.

The horse was injured in December when he accidentally got his leg caught in a corral panel. Kountz immediately sought medical advice, the motion said, and followed treatment recommended by a vet.

Kountz and his family then treated the horse themselves with antibiotics, pain medication, wound dressing, soaking and wrapping the injured leg.

The horse “was continuing to enjoy his life and provide companionship albeit with an injured leg,” Avignone wrote.

“Tommy was a special horse — tough and smart and very much still interested in continuing to live,” Avignone wrote. “Mr. Kountz knew Tommy very well and if Tommy was in pain or had given up on wanting to live, Mr. Kountz would have put him down.”

 

Kountz went on to say that he had spent a lot of money keeping the horse alive and wanted to get some semen out of him. 

The calf “appeared to be a little poor looking,” the motion said, so Kountz put it in the barn for extra care and monitoring. Kountz had to go out of town, but when he left the morning of March 28, the calf was sitting upright and alive, the defense said.

And both the horse and the calf had clean stalls and food and water, the motion said.

Avignone argued that the charges should be dismissed for numerous reasons.

The state violated Kountz’s right to due process by ordering that he euthanize the two animals.

“Mr. Kountz had no choice and complied with the deputy’s directive,” Avignone wrote.

But because of that, Kountz was not able to consult with an independent veterinarian and have the animals examined and tested to offer up evidence that might counter prosecutor’s claims.

“The animals are now gone because of the state. The state’s conduct requires dismissal,” Avignone wrote.

Avignone also argues that the state does not have probable cause to charge Kountz, that state law doesn’t define “torture,” and that Kountz’s previous misdemeanor charge is 15 years old and not “constitutionally firm,” all meaning the charges should be dropped.

The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office has not responded to the defense’s motions.

(The Bozeman Daily Chronicle - Oct 31, 2015)

Earlier:

• Animal abuse case at Kountz Arena sent to County Attorney

• After finding a horse and calf suffering, lazy deputy gives 'warning' to abuser - and leaves them to continue to suffer

Employees of Texas Daisy Farms (Daisy Sour Cream) seen beating baby cows

TEXAS --  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is accusing a local dairy farm of animal abuse.

The organization sent an undercover investigator to look into allegations made by a former employee in May. That employee worked for Daisy Farms for over a year.

The PETA undercover investigator captured video of the animals while working at Daisy Farms in Paris over the summer.



The video shows a worker kicking a calf in the head. Daisy Farms says that employee was terminated after their management team conducted an investigation over the matter.

PETA says other complaints brought to management were ignored. They claim the animals were not properly cared for after suffering and abuse claims were reported to management onsite.

"The abuse and the neglect was repeatedly brought to the attention of the manager onsite at the farm and it is he himself who rejected requests to call a veterinarian," said Dan Paden, PETA Associate Director of Evidence Analysis.

"PETA also documented that workers force-fed the calves milk so carelessly that some aspirated the fluid and drowned. Workers punched, jabbed, kicked, and twisted the tails of cows— even those who were in labor— and no veterinarian was ever seen or said to be caring for some cows whose tails had been severed. Used-up cows were sent off to slaughter."

Daisy Farms' Ben Sokolsky released the following statement regarding the video footage and allegations:

"There is no question the video PETA presented shocks and greatly disappoints me, the management team and the entire employee base at Daisy Farms. I would like to unequivocally state that this video is not a representation of who we are and does not represent how we feel animals should be treated.

"Our management team regularly reviews our practices and procedures, and in light of this video footage, we have engaged a third party audit firm to investigate and evaluate our operations and policies related to animal welfare and identify where we can improve.

  

"The mission of Daisy Farms is to milk healthy and happy cows. It is what we believe in as individuals and collectively as an organization."

Ben, you've got to come up with something better than that... oh, you're "disappointed". After all of these undercover videos have come out over the years, why don't you have surveillance cameras in all your barns? Let these employees know they are being watched ALL THE TIME - just like in a bank! Why is that so hard to do??

The Lamar County Sheriff's Department is investigating.

(KXII-TV - ‎Oct 13, 2015‎)

Related:

• Daisy Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese: Calves Torn From Their Mothers, Sick and Struggling to Breathe

Independence couple pleads guilty to animal cruelty, child neglect charges

NEW JERSEY -- Chad Lloyd and Kimberly Brown, the Independence Township pair who were accused of animal cruelty and child neglect after dozens of deceased animals were found on their rental property in April, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of cruelty and neglect before Judge Robert Reed in State Superior Court in Warren County.

Lloyd, 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect and two offenses of animal cruelty. Brown, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of children, one count of cruelty to animals and one count of failure to provide animal care.

The pair were each originally charged with two civil counts and two criminal counts of animal cruelty as well as with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

While entering his plea, Lloyd, with the help of his attorney, Shepard Kays, said the animals on the property were both those that he raised for sale and kept as pets.

According to his plea, Lloyd acknowledged that many of the animals passed away during a “particularly harsh winter” when they were not provided with the necessary care to survive, but said he did not intend to hurt or kill the creatures.

Lloyd also acknowledged that by failing to remove the decaying carcasses from both the house and the premises and allowing them access to the dead animals, he subjected the two children living on the property ­— aged 3 and 10 at the time ­— to health risks.

In pleading to her charges, Brown similarly acknowledged that her inaction contributed to both the deaths of the animals and the children's exposure to the possibility of infection or disease.

Both Lloyd and Brown declined to comment on the case after leaving the courtroom.

Reed said at sentencing that by pleading guilty, Loyd faces up to four years in state prison, but noted that the defendants are both seeking probation as part of their plea.

Kays, and Brown's attorney, Neil Gillespie, said though the duration of the probation period has yet to be determined, conditions would include compliance with Division of Child Protection and Permanency and family court requirements, the payment of restitution and fines and compliance with a lifetime ban on owning, controlling or possessing animals.

Animal cruelty charges related to the seizure of animals from the pair's second rental property in Lafayette remain pending in municipal court there.

According to a press release from the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, on April 1 the Independence Police Department responded to a report of five loose pigs running loose near Russling Road. Upon returning the animals to the owner's home, the police observed numerous animals in various states of decomposition, the prosecutor's office said.

According to Rick Yocum, president of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, more than 190 animals – including pigs, goats, calves, emus, pheasants, chickens, quails, ducks, 70 partridges, a cockatiel bird, chinchillas, hamsters, guinea pigs, chicks, geese, turkeys, cows and a snake – were removed from Lloyd and Brown's custody from their property in Independence and a second rental property in Lafayette.

The two children, who the couple had a “legal duty” to care for, were also removed from the Independence property, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office said in its original release.

The animals from the two properties were taken to the The Barnyard Sanctuary in Columbia and Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage, Yocum previously said.

Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said the children were taken to stay with relatives at another location immediately after the incident. An update on the children's current housing situation could not be provided by either Kays or Gillespie on Friday.

Lloyd and Brown will return to court for sentencing on Oct. 2.

(NJ Herald - June 26, 2015)

Earlier:

• Young children exposed to decomposed animals on Warren County property; couple charged

Dead calves found at second farm; POS owner cries and tells Sheriff he was 'overwhelmed'. No sympathy from me. He let these animals suffer 24 hours a day til death finally took them.

WISCONSIN -- An investigation into animal neglect at a Kenosha County farm shifted to a second location Saturday, with 30 additional dead calves found at a Paris farm.

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department has found more than 80 dead calves at the two farms owned by the Schmeckel family.

 

 

  

 

On Friday, investigators found 52 dead calves in a barn on Highway 75 in Brighton just south of the Kenosha-Racine County line. They found the additional dead calves at a second farm on First Street in Paris.

According to a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, investigators were at the second farm, 20801 First St., until about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, finding 30 dead calves there “in various states of decomposition.” At least 100 live cattle were found on that farm and were evaluated by a veterinarian.

On Friday, deputies discovered the first dead Holstein calves in a barn at 275 Highway 75 in Brighton after receiving a complaint. There were also 15 live calves and steers. Those animals were taken from the property to Sheriff Dave Beth’s farm, which is nearby.

According to a statement from the department, the owners of the properties are cooperating with investigators.

Beth said Friday the animals appeared to have died from starvation and dehydration, but the exact cause is still under investigation.

“The cause of the animal deaths has not yet been determined and may have been illness. However the initial investigation has revealed evidence of neglect in addition to readily apparent long-term deplorable conditions.”

Neighbors said the dairy calves were being raised as beef steers.

Dairy farmers sell bull calves when they are a few days old. The calves are fed milk replacer by bottle or pail until they are old enough to eat forage and grain. Calves are often purchased for beef production.

The calves at the Brighton farm were kept in a barn close to the street, but were not visible from the road. On Friday, the stench of decomposing animals was strong along the highway. The Paris farm is set back far off the road.

Jeffrey Schmeckel was critically injured in a farm accident in 2009, losing a leg when he was caught in a combine while harvesting corn at the Brighton farm.

After the accident, farmers in the area worked together to help the family plant crops, and the community organized a benefit to help defray medical bills.

(Kenosha News - May 24, 2015)

Earlier:

• Over 80 dead calves found on 2 Kenosha County farms

Over 80 dead calves found on 2 Kenosha County farms; owner cries fake tears to Sheriff to show how remorseful he is - yeah right

WISCONSIN -- Authorities are investigating potential animal abuse on two farms where over 80 dead calves were found amid deplorable conditions, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday.

Detectives and deputies found at least 52 dead calves in and around the barns on a farm in Brighton Township on Friday afternoon, the department said in a statement. Fifteen live calves were moved to a safe location.

 

 

Investigators later discovered at least 30 dead calves “in various states of decomposition” at a second farm in Paris Township owned by the same family, the department said. At least 100 live cattle there were put under a veterinarian’s care.

Volunteers standing by to help move the rescued animals were horrified by the smell of death in the air, the Kenosha News reported.

“This is a bit of a jaw-dropper,” said Robert Melby, director of Clawz and Pawz, which contracts with animal control to assist in rescue operations.

While Sheriff David Beth told the newspaper Friday evening that it sounded like the animals died of starvation and dehydration, the department’s statement on Saturday said the cause of the animal deaths had not been determined, and may have been due to disease.

"The first barn had probably two feet of animal waste on the floor built up," Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said. "The calves that were inside the barn were stepping over other animal carcasses."

The son of the family told the sheriff he bought the calves in the last year and was simply overwhelmed. The man lost his leg in a farming accident six years ago.

So what? Guys in the military have limbs blown off and they manage to take care of their animals - horses, cows, dogs, cats. This is a BS excuse. Oh he was made handicapped six years ago??? Then get out of farming you moron!

"These were his animals," Beth said. "He was in tears. He said, 'I just could handle it. I just didn't ask for help.' So yeah, there's a lot of remorse."

"It appears animals would get sick and would be left to rot," Beth said. "You don't do that."

Aww, he had a lot of remorse. Isn't that lovely? This you-know-what isn't crying like a little girl because he cared so much for the animals and feels badly for them. He's crying crocodile tears for them and the only reason he's crying is BECAUSE HE GOT CAUGHT!!!!

But it added that investigators found “evidence of neglect in addition to readily apparent and long-term deplorable conditions.”

The department said the farm owners were cooperating, and that the investigation is expected to take at least several days — potentially weeks — to complete.

(washingtontimes.com - May 24, 2015)

After finding a horse and calf suffering, lazy deputy gives 'warning' to abuser - and leaves them to continue to suffer

MONTANA -- The owner of a Bozeman arena faces two felony animal cruelty charges after a horse with a missing foot and a comatose calf were found on his property.

Dayle Kountz, owner of Kountz Arena, was charged Monday with aggravated animal cruelty and a second offense of cruelty to animals.

Prosecutor Erin Murphy provided an alternative felony to the aggravated animal cruelty charge, but Kountz can only be convicted of two total counts.

According to charging documents filed by the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office:

On the morning of March 28, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Kountz Arena, at 4490 Stucky Road, for a report of animal cruelty.

An anonymous caller had said that a horse was missing a foot, lying in its own feces and suffering in a small stall.

A deputy arrived at the arena, which was hosting a horse show, and found the elderly stallion on the northwest portion of the property.

The horse was standing but missing the lower part of its left front leg.

A deputy contacted Kountz, who owned the horse named Young Doc Bar. Kountz told the deputy that the animal was 22 or 23 years old and he was going to get some semen from the horse and then put him down.

Kountz said that Young Doc Bar was injured around Christmas 2014 when he got his foot caught between panels and “hurt the foot real bad.”

Kountz said he cared for the horse, but the foot was so damaged that it fell off. Kountz said the injury was healed.

Kountz went on to say that he had spent a lot of money keeping the horse alive and wanted to get some semen out of him. He said he called a doctor about the initial injury and got information on how to treat it, but the horse was never taken to a veterinarian.

Dr. Gary Cook from All West Veterinary Clinic responded to the arena that day to examine Young Doc Bar and a young calf, which was in the same area as the horse and appeared to be in very poor health. Cook recommended that both animals be euthanized.

When a deputy told Kountz that the animals needed to be put down, Kountz argued that the calf was fine. When the deputy said that’s not what the vet thought, Kountz said he would shoot both the calf and Young Doc Bar when he returned home from out of town.

The deputy requested that Kountz provide proof that both animals were euthanized and Kountz agreed to send a picture. The deputy closed the case with a warning.

However, a number of witnesses who were at the Kountz Arena on the day of the horse show came forward and provided photographs and information to the sheriff’s office for further investigation.

Pictures given to detectives showed Young Doc Bar’s foot still attached, but with a severe laceration. One of the pictures also showed an injury to the back of the horse’s right leg.

One woman who provided photos said that she had used the Kountz Arena for riding in the winter months and boarded her horse there but later removed her horse due to inadequate care and watering.

The woman said she had offered to take Young Doc Bar from Kountz and care for him, but she said Kountz refused.

Another woman who was at the March 28 horse show at the arena said in addition to the foot injury, she saw a number of open sores on Young Doc Bar.

The woman said when the deputy arrived at the arena, two Kountz workers showed up and started cleaning the stall and putting a wrap on the horse’s stump.

The two workers then put a halter on the horse and used their feet to kick him and urge him to get up. The woman video taped Young Doc Bar being led out of the building and loaded into a horse trailer.

A woman who had worked at the Kountz Arena a couple of times told investigators she had to clean up Young Doc Bar’s stall. She called the stall “disgusting” and said the horse was standing in feces and urine. She also said the horse was holding its injured leg off the ground and that the leg had swollen up to about three times its normal size.

The woman said she never saw the horse’s wound bandaged in any way and never saw a vet work on the animal. The woman added that she was hired to work with a 3-year-old horse, but the horses feet were so bad that he had problems walking. The woman said she quit due to the conditions.

Cook, who examined the animals, told investigators that Young Doc Bar’s hoof was gone from his left foot and the bottom of the leg was a mass of tissue that felt moist. Cook said if the injury would have been reported sooner, he could have helped the animal considerably, or humanely euthanized him.

The calf appeared to almost be having seizures, which could have been from an injury or a toxin, Cook said. The calf was comatose when Cook saw him and Cook said he told Kountz the calf needed to be euthanized.

Amy Morgan of Summit Horsemanship and Show Management, which was holding the show in the Kountz Arena on March 28, said she received a message from Kountz during the show.

“I have a horse that lost a foot back with my horses and someone took a picture and put it on Facebook. I blocked that area off, they shouldn’t have been back there. Announce for people to stay the hell out of there,” the text said.

Investigators contacted Dr. Ted Vlahos, who operates Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital, to review the case. Based on photos, Vlahos concluded that Young Doc Bar’s foot had fallen off weeks prior to March 28.

Vlahos said the case was “clearly” animal cruelty.

“Nothing could be more obvious and serious as a horse that loses its limb,” Vlahos said. “The failure to provide medical care from a licensed veterinarian in the case of catastrophic failure of the limb as in this case clearly represents inhumane and cruel treatment of the horse.”

On March 31, a sheriff’s lieutenant contacted Kountz to inform him of the ongoing investigation. He sent photos of the horse and calf being euthanized, but he said he had spoken to an attorney who advised him not to make any statements.

Kountz was convicted of misdemeanor cruelty to animals in Gallatin County in 1999.

According to the Kountz Arena website, the property includes an outdoor and an indoor arena. The business also boards horses.

(Bozeman Daily Chronicle - May 19, 2015)

Earlier:
Animal abuse case at Kountz Arena sent to County Attorney

Marjorie Hansen arrested on animal neglect charges

NEW YORK -- A Hillsdale woman was arrested Thursday for allegations of animal neglect, according to state police.
 
State troopers arrested Marjorie E. Hansen, 58, for 13 counts of failing to provide sustenance pursuant to state Agricultural and Markets law.

The law includes a specification for the legal necessity of an owner to give proper food and water, shelter, exercise and sanitary accommodations to their animals.

Troopers Nicole VanHoesen and Jeremy Proper located ten horses and three calves on a farm and determined they were unhealthy and had not been receiving proper care from Hansen.

Hansen was arraigned in the Town of Hillsdale Court and ordered to reappear on May 20.

The animals are now under the supervision of the Columbia-Greene American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

(Register Star - May 17, 2015)

Animal abuse case at Kountz Arena sent to County Attorney

MONTANA -- According to Gallatin County Sheriff's office Lt. Arlyn Greydanus, the case involving alleged animal cruelty at Kountz arena is heading to the county attorney's desk.

Lt. Greydanus could not comment further.

The case stems from an incident back in late March, when a horse with a missing hoof and a calf laying in its own feces was found inside the arena.

The sheriff's office was called out to Kountz arena along with a veterinarian.

The sheriff's office later confirmed the animals were euthanized following the incident.

Gallatin County Animal Control assisted with completing the investigation.

We will continue to follow this story and will update you as more details become available.

(KBZK Bozeman News - May 1, 2015)

Young children exposed to decomposed animals on Warren County property; couple charged

NEW JERSEY -- A couple allowed two young children to be exposed to numerous decomposed animals on an Independence Township property where they also lived with inadequate heat and hot water, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office says.

Chad J. Lloyd, 36, and Kimberly Brown, 23, are charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children, the office says. They lived in a home with the children in the first block of Russling Road.

 

The prosecutor's office did not disclose their relationship with the children -- 3 and 10 -- but identified them as having "the legal duty for the care of the two children."

Independence Township police began investigating Lloyd and Brown after responding to a report last Wednesday of five pigs running loose in their neighborhood. Police and animal control officers captured the pigs and confirmed the couple owned them.

Police discovered the conditions of the home when they returned the pigs, according to the prosecutor's office.

"Numerous animals in various states of decomposition were discovered on the property," a statement from the office says. "Specifically ... the children had access to various deceased animals, some of which are located as close as three to six feet from the residence."

The statement says the suspects had also failed to provide the children with adequate heat and hot water since February.

Lloyd and Brown were both released on their own recognizance. As a condition of their release, they must comply with all New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency requirements. It was not immediately clear who is currently caring for the children.

The SPCA is involved in the investigation, but the statement from the prosecutor's office did not indicate if any charges are being considered in connection with the animals on the property.

An SPCA spokesman on Tuesday confirmed that live animals were taken from the property, but didn't immediately have additional details. He said the agency would be releasing a statement later in the day.

The Barnyard Sanctuary, based in Knowlton Township, said it is caring for animals seized from the property, but referred questions about the case to the SPCA.

Efforts to reach the suspects on Tuesday were unsuccessful. A phone number listed for Lloyd was disconnected. Brown did not have a listed number.

(lehighvalleylive.com - April 7, 2015)

Texas cops hunt sicko who stabbed calf in rectum, forcing owners to put it down before competition

TEXAS -- A sicko stabbed an adorable calf being raised for a Texas competition in the rectum - meaning it had to be put down.

High schooler Hunter was left devastated after the horrifying attack on his beloved animal in La Porte over the weekend, reports KPRC 2.

The student, who's been raising animals for show for four years, was planning to exhibit the creature the upcoming Houston Livestock Show.

But his family was called on Monday by the owner of the barn, where they keep the calf. He told them the animal was ill, sluggish and finding it difficult to stand on its own.

A vet was called out and was shocked to discover the animal had been attacked.

"Basically, it was a perforation to the calf's internal portion of his rectum," La Porte Police Department Detective Matt Davidson told KPRC 2.

The family decided to put the animal down after it was determined it wouldn't recover from its injuries.

  

Cops are now hunting the attacker and a $1,000 reward is on offer for any information that leads to an arrest.

Hunter said he was devastated by the incident, which has forced him to sit out this year's competition.

"You do build a relationship. When you get out of school, you spend all night in the barn, getting them ready for the day of show," he said.

"You want to keep in the back of your mind that someone would never do something like that," he added.

(NY Daily News - March 13, 2015)