Hunlock Township man pleads guilty to neglecting cows and goat

Jan. 16—WILKES-BARRE — A man from Hunlock Township where humane officers with the SPCA of Luzerne County seized 32 cow calves and a goat due to deplorable living conditions for the animals pled guilty to a single misdemeanor animal neglect charge Tuesday.

Mark Brown, age unknown, of Kolb Lane, pled guilty to neglect of animals before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr.

Brown was fined $1,000, ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the SPCA and forfeited the cattle and one goat to the SPCA.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors withdrew 67 misdemeanor counts of neglect of animals and 68 summary counts of neglect of animals against Brown.

Thirty-four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals were dismissed by Sklarosky after a motions hearing in September.

Humane officers were contacted by the Pennsylvania State Police at Shickshinny on July 27, 2023, regarding cows, goats and other animals on Brown's property. The animals were thin, had no water and food and had inadequate shelter, according to court records.

Many cow calves were two-to-three months old when encountered by humane officers and were housed in filthy pens with no food or water, court records say.

A total of 33 cow calves and one goat were seized and evaluated by a large animal veterinarian. Many cow calves tested positive for giardia, coccidia and salmonella, according to court records.

Most of the cow calves were nursed back to health and placed with foster farms.

When the cow calves and the goat were seized, the 4H Club and Hillside Farms in Kingston Township assisted in transporting the livestock to the SPCA facility in Plains Township.