BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) _ A Ferndale farmer charged in April with starving his animals to death has avoided felony convictions and will get several surviving cows back.
The Bellingham Herald reports that Seth Snook, owner of Snook Brook Farms, entered an agreement in court that dismisses three felony counts of animal cruelty. Two misdemeanor counts will also be dismissed if Snook keeps a clean record.
The agreement requires the farm to be inspected monthly by a veterinarian.
Court records show investigators found starved animals, as well as carcasses of cows and pigs, at the farm.
Snook’s defense has countered that the humane society’s reports were highly misleading; that the pig and one cow didn’t belong to him; and the cows were not being starved, but were at a point in the so-called “drying” period when dairy cows look slimmest.
Snook’s attorney has filed a claim of damages against Whatcom County and the humane society for defamation, among other alleged injustices.
Snook said he struggled to care for the animals and his family after his wife had brain surgery.
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