CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #8388 Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Five goats neglected, euthanized
Blodgett, OR (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 1, 2005
County: Benton
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Karen Black
» Robert Plamondon
The owners of Norton Creek Farm, the local egg producer featured in an article April 16, were cited for five counts of first-degree animal neglect in November. The case involved goats, not chickens, however. Of the farm's 16 goats, five had to be destroyed due to severe foot rot.
Karen Black and Robert Plamondon pleaded guilty to one count each of animal neglect in January, admitting that their failure to provide minimum care caused serious physical injury to an animal. If the couple complete terms of a diversion agreement, including 20 hours of community service, by May 24, the case will be removed from their records.
Black said treatments for the goats seemed to work initially, but didn't cure them. "We probably should have had them destroyed earlier, but we thought that the goats were still taking an interest in life, and we didn't want to kill them," Black said. "It's probably not what a livestock guy would do. You don't keep around animals that are unprofitable," she added.
In an incident report, Deputy Randy Hiner of Benton County Sheriff's Office said when he investigated the case, "what I saw horrified me." Five or six goats had limps so bad they couldn't run from the officer. A veterinarian consulted for the case said that it probably took five to six months of neglect to let the goats' feet get in that condition, according to the report. References« OR State Animal Cruelty Map
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