DONNELLSON, Iowa (AP) - Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies have removed about 30 horses from a southeast Iowa man who is facing charges of livestock neglect.
Several deputies removed the horses Wednesday from a farm in Donnellson owned by Jeffrey L. Graber, according to the Burlington Hawk Eye (https://bit.ly/1jOtBIh).
Graber was charged Jan. 9 with three counts of livestock neglect and one count of improperly disposing of an animal carcass. He was released after a brief court appearance.
Graber’s attorney, Steven Ort, didn’t immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Thursday.
Lee County Sheriff Jim Sholl said the horses appeared to have enough hay to eat but had little water.
Asked why the sheriff’s office decided to remove the horses, Sholl said, “We just decided enough is enough.”
Graber was charged earlier in the month after an inspection indicated several horses hadn’t been given enough food and weren’t properly cared for, Sholl said. At least one horse had died, Sholl said.
Besides horses, Chief Deputy Scott Bonar said deputies also seized some donkeys from the farm.
Authorities asked for help finding people to temporarily care for the horses, and by Wednesday afternoon, all the animals had been placed with people.
Bonar said this is the first time in his 25 years with the sheriff’s office that he can recall being involved in such a large removal of animals.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this,” he said.
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Information from: The Hawk Eye, https://www.thehawkeye.com
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