Greg J. Apfelbeck, 46, was ordered to stand trial in Marathon County court on charges of animal mistreatment after authorities say he kept malnourished and dehydrated beef cattle in a manure-filled barn.
Greg J. Apfelbeck, 46, also faces charges of failing to provide proper food and water to confined animals, failing to provide animals with minimum standards of sanitation.
Apfelbeck was arrested Sept. 5 after sheriff's deputies found about 30 head of cattle in a Town of Holton barn.
Testimony at a preliminary hearing stated that it was impossible to walk through the barn because manure was piled 8 or 9 feet high. Most of the water cups used by the animals were covered with manure and the cattle experienced difficulty walking after being removed from the barn. Case UpdatesAn Abbotsford man is not allowed to own any animals while on probation after his conviction for animal mistreatment.
Greg J. Apfelbeck, 48, of 2837 Townhall Road, also was convicted in Marathon County Circuit Court of providing improper animal shelter and sanitation standards stemming from a September 2003 investigation. He was sentenced to four years probation and nine months in the Marathon County Jail with work-release privileges.
Authorities say Apfelbeck kept malnourished and dehydrated beef cattle in a manure-filled barn. Some parts of the barn were filled nearly floor to ceiling with manure, and several animals were covered from head to foot with dried manure, authorities said. A veterinarian told officials he thought manure had been collecting in the barn for about a year.
At least two of the animals had to be euthanized. One animal, found buried up to its head in manure, suffered deterioration of its skin. Another had a difficult time standing on its front legs because they were "grossly deformed and bowed out to its side," an officer wrote in the report.
Three additional counts, including making threats to a woman whom he suspected had alerted authorities, were dismissed as part of a plea agreement Apfelbeck and his attorney reached with a prosecutor Oct. 19. | Source: Wausau Daily Herald - Oct 25, 2005
Update posted on Oct 27, 2005 - 7:36PM |
A judge dismissed charges Tuesday against an Abbotsford man accused of animal mistreatment but allowed the prosecutor to refile them, the second time charges have been refiled in the case.
Tammy Levit-Jones, the attorney for Greg Apfelbeck, 48, had requested the charges be dismissed after Marathon County Assistant District Attorney Theresa Merriwether failed to file paperwork finalizing the charges in the time period required by law. Levit-Jones argued repeated errors by the prosecutor have cost the defendant an unreasonable amount of time and money.
Marathon County Judge Patrick Brady's decision to allow the charges to be refiled restarts the case from the beginning.
It is the second time Merriwether has failed to file the charging paperwork on time, which has cost Apfelbeck more legal fees, Levit-Jones said. He had to attend numerous court appearances and adhere to bond conditions during the two years that his case has been pending, she said. Because the error was repetitive, Levit-Jones asked that Brady not allow the charges to be refiled.
Merriwether said the filing errors do not affect the merit of the charges against Apfelbeck, and she refiled the charges Tuesday. The errors were simply mistakes, she said, and a trial remains scheduled for Oct. 24 if the case cannot be resolved by then.
Authorities say Apfelbeck kept malnourished and dehydrated beef cattle in a manure-filled barn. Some parts of the barn were filled nearly floor to ceiling with manure, and several animals were covered from head to foot with dried manure, authorities said. A veterinarian told officials he thought manure had been collecting in the barn for about a year.
At least two of the animals had to be euthanized. One animal, found buried up to its head in manure, suffered deterioration of its skin. Another had a difficult time standing on its front legs because they were "grossly deformed and bowed out to its side," an officer wrote in the report.
In addition to two counts of animal mistreatment, Apfelbeck faces charges of failing to provide proper food and water to confined animals, failing to provide animals with minimum standards of sanitation and making threats to a woman whom he suspected had alerted authorities. | Source: Marshfield News-Herald - Sept 15, 2005
Update posted on Sep 19, 2005 - 10:36PM |
Mr. Apfelbeck is scheduled for Jury Trial on 09-21-2004 at 9:00 am. The charges he is facing are: Mistreatment of Animals/Cause Death (Felony I), Threats to Injure/Accuse of Crime (Felony H), Intent. Fail/Provide Food for Animal (Misd A) and Intention. Imp.Animal Shelter-Sanitation (Misd A).
Online source (Wisconsin Court System: ) | | Update posted on Apr 21, 2004 - 11:20AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References
|
