Dead Cow Leads To Animal Cruelty Charges Against Montgomery County Woman
A Canajoharie woman is facing charges following an animal cruelty investigation by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
According to CNY Homepage.com, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint after a cow was found near death on her farming property on March 30.
The cow died during the investigation of the initial complaint.
The farm’s owner, 85-year-old Carolee Start, was told the cow’s carcass would need to be disposed of.
A follow-up was conducted to make sure the carcass was properly taken care of and at that time, several animals were found on the property that Deputies say didn’t appear to be in good health.
During the investigation, over 20 cattle and one donkey were found dead on the property and not properly disposed of.
As the investigation continued, several other dead animals were found on the property that had not been properly disposed of per Agricultural and Markets law.
A warrant of seizure for Start’s other animals was granted by the Town of Canajoharie Court and over the course of three days over 40 cattle, 13 donkeys, and eight miniature horses were seized by the Sheriff’s Office and the SPCA.
They have all been relocated to farms throughout the area to be evaluated.
60 animals in all were seized from the farm.
Start was charged with the following:
- Agricultural and Markets Law Section 353: Overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance (Misdemeanor)
- Agricultural and Markets Law Section 377: Disposal of dead animals (Violation)
Start was issued an appearance ticket and will appear in the Town of Canajoharie Court at a later date.
The investigation is still ongoing.