Beaver County farmer facing more than 2 dozen animal neglect charges
UPDATE: Court paperwork shows the charges have been withdrawn.
BEAVER COUNTY (KDKA) — A local farmer accused of neglecting his herd said the more than two dozen charges he's facing are baseless.
Brent Lambert runs Nature Way Farms in New Brighton. He's facing a felony aggravated animal cruelty charge and 26 counts of animal neglect after someone reported a dead cow had been lying in the pasture he's in charge of for a month.
"I offered to show them and give them a tour to prove to them that I'm not neglectful, that I care about my cows and my farm," Lambert said.
"Considering we have a deceased cow that was in a field for over a month, to me, that kind of shows your morals as an animal owner," humane officer Samantha Scobie said.
Scobie is referring to a picture that allegedly shows a cow lying dead in the pasture.
"We have had previous dealings with him in the past. In terms of evidence, we had everything we needed," Scobie said.
That evidence, officials say, was collected while investigating the complaint about the dead animal. The humane officer says she found the cattle did not have access to water or proper shelter, something required by law.
Lambert said that's not true, pointing to both a barn and creek on the property.
"That cow there is 10 years old," Lambert said. "So I must be providing shelter, water and proper feed because look how big she is."
Lambert said he has a lot of experience caring for cattle and has been in charge of Nature Way Farms for years.
"I have a lot of loyal customers who know the truth," he said.
Based on the experience he said he has, humane officials said that he should know better.
Lambert has a preliminary hearing in April.
