SALEM, Ohio – The Crawford County, Pa., farm manager accused of neglecting and starving her dairy herd has been charged with animal cruelty.
Ronda Hatcher of Conneautville was handed 29 counts of animal cruelty March 5, according to state police Cpl. Lee Formichella.
The offense is punishable by up to $300 in fines and up to 90 days in jail for each of the 29 charges.
Search and find.
When state police arrived at Hatcher’s farm on South Beaver Road Feb. 17, they found 24 dead cattle and five others described as “barely alive” by Cpl. Lee Formichella.
The animals appeared to have starved to death and had no feed or water, Formichella said.
State police investigated after at least one neighbor tipped them off that there were dead cows at the farm.
Related coverage:
Crawford County: Police find 24 dead cows in Pa. (2/26/2004)
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