Courtesy of Photo Horses from an animal abandonment and cruelty case in Alpena County eating in their new home. The horses were among 185 animals confiscated from the property on Taylor Hawks Road.
ALPENA – The living and health conditions of the more than 180 farm animals rescued during an animal cruelty and abandonment case in Alpena moved Alpena County Animal Welfare Officer Michelle Reid to tears.
News of the case is also likely to anger the Alpena County Board of Commissioners, not only because of the mistreatment of the animals, but also because of the costs they will incur while the case plays out in court.
Thanks to Reid, her staff, volunteers and local partners, the animals are now being cared for and nursed back to health.
The property owner, 41-year-old Kristy Bartlett, was arrested and charged with abandonment and cruelty to animals on property on Taylor Hawks Road in Alpena County.
Graves of dead animals were also found on the property, but Reid did not provide information on how many dead animals were found because the case is still under investigation.
According to Reid, the rescued animals included 14 horses, 17 goats, seven dogs, four sheep and more than a hundred poultry.
Reid said the animals were being raised on a 4,000-square-metre plot, which is not very large for the number of animals there. Reid said the state government has no law dictating how many animals can be kept on such a small plot.
When the case was uncovered, many people rushed to the scene to rescue the animals and find them a new habitat, Reid said. She said the animals were spread across several locations, each dedicated to a specific species, and they are in the process of getting back to health.
“Given the sheer number of animals, it was a logistical nightmare in this case,” she said.
Reid said help in rescuing and caring for the animals extends beyond Alpena County.
She said Otsego County animal control officers assisted her team and a local livestock transporter helped load and transport the animals, large and small, from the scene of the accident to their temporary new quarters.
The animals are kept as evidence in criminal proceedings and can remain in their new homes for many months while the case works its way through the court system. The longer they have to stay in the care of others and the more veterinary, medication and food costs they incur, the more expensive it becomes for the county. Reid said the long hours of overtime and the investigations before and after the raid also added significant costs to the county budget.
Reid said the number of cases of animal hoarding, abandonment and abuse is increasing because people are better at reporting them. However, she suspects there are more cases in Alpena County and other nearby counties. Reid said some cases may have been reported to local law enforcement in Northeast Michigan but have not yet been processed due to the cost of processing.
“Many municipalities are hesitant to pursue these cases because they fear financial liability,” she said.
Often, Reid said, local action could be taken sooner to avoid an even worse situation. She said some of the more serious cases of animal hoarding and animal abuse could be prevented by earlier intervention.
“It’s important that we address situations like this before they get out of control,” she said. “Situations like this don’t get better over time. They only get worse.”
Reid declined to comment on the animals’ living conditions because of the ongoing investigation, but said the conditions the animals were forced to live in and their health had a direct emotional impact on her. Seeing the animals in such poor condition and the way they were forced to live also motivated her to help them, she said.
Reid said the health of many animals has already improved.
“It’s heartbreaking and I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve broken down,” Reid said. “It’s tough, but if we all give up when the work gets hard, who would be there to help them? I know there will be happy days ahead for these animals and that’s what keeps me focused.”
On July 30, Reid learned of the animals’ treatment through a tip that included photographic evidence. She obtained a search warrant for the property where the animals were found.
Bartlett was arrested and charged with abandonment and cruelty to 25 or more animals, which is a felony, and two misdemeanor counts of unlawful burial of a dead animal. She was released from the Alpena County Jail on bail.
This is the second case of large animal neglect reported in the last 10 days.
A 56-year-old Hawks man was arraigned last week in Montmorency County’s 88th District Court after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources launched an animal cruelty investigation.
The man pleaded not guilty to one count of inadequate care of animals, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison and/or up to $10,000 in fines and community service, one count of cruelty to animals, which is punishable by up to 93 days in prison, up to $1,000 in fines and up to 200 hours of community service, and two counts of improper burial of dead animals, each punishable by up to 90 days in prison and up to $500 in fines.
Officers involved in this case seized 75 animals and were able to relocate them to appropriate facilities for proper care. These included 14 geese, 14 sheep, eight chickens and piglets, seven pigs and horses, four dogs and miniature cows, three turtles, two goats and cats, and a turkey and a rabbit.
Reach Steve Schulwitz at 989-358-5689 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.
