Hunlock Township man arraigned for malnourished calves
Jan. 19—SHICKSHINNY — A man from Hunlock Township where humane officers from the SPCA of Luzerne County seized more than 30 malnourished cow calves and a goat last summer was arraigned on animal cruelty charges Thursday.
Mark Brown, age unknown, of Kolb Lane, was charged with 68 counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals, 68 misdemeanor counts of neglect of animals and 68 summary counts of neglect of animals. The charges were filed Aug. 26 with District Judge Matthew C. Christopher in Shickshinny.
Brown was arraigned on the charges by Christopher, who released him on $50,000 unsecured bail.
Humane officers were contacted by the state police at Shickshinny on July 27 regarding cows, goats and other animals at 11 Kolb Lane in Hunlock Township. The animals were thin, had no water and food and had inadequate shelter, according to the criminal complaint.
Human officers visited the property the same day unable to contact Brown.
Many cow calves were two-to-three months old and were housed in filthy pens with no food or water, the complaint says.
When humane officers provided hay to the cow calves, the animals barely ate.
A thin goat kept in a cage consumed hay aggressively, the complaint says.
A total of 33 cow calves and the goat were seized and each evaluated by a large animal veterinarian. Many cow calves tested positive for giardia, coccidia and salmonella, according to the complaint.
Most of the cow calves were nursed back to health and were placed with "foster homes."
The 4H Club and Hillside Farms in Kingston Township assisted in transporting the cow calves to the SPCA facility in Plains Township on July 28 and July 29, 2022.
