Sidney farmer Mark Gould’s cows have been wandering onto a neighbor’s property, eating the hay the neighbor is growing for his own cows, defecating and urinating there, according to Animal Control Officer Chris Martinez.
For that, Martinez summoned Gould, of Drummond Road, for allegedly allowing his cows to trespass Feb. 28 and 29, as well as March 1, and charged him with animal trespass, three or more times in a seven-day period.
Martinez said the cows have gotten loose twice more in the past week. He plans to summon Gould a fourth time and charge him with animal trespass five or more times within a 30-day period. If he is found guilty, he faces a $2,500 fine, according to Martinez.
Gould has a history of such problems going back to 2011.
“The problem is, he keeps getting animals,” Martinez said Thursday. “We took some from him last year, and he lost them in a possession hearing, and he got more.”
Gould’s cows, he said, cross Drummond Road onto property owned by farmer Jeff Bragg.
Contacted Thursday by phone, Gould offered a terse statement about Martinez and the summonses, and then hung up.
“Well, he’s not the most honest person and I wouldn’t trust him, as far as that goes,” Gould said.
Martinez said when he summons Gould, he gives him photographs and videos of the cows trespassing on the neighbor’s property.
“So I don’t know how much more honest I can be,” Martinez said.
In 2011 and 2015, Gould was charged with animal trespassing after some of his goats got onto Interstate 95 through a hole in the fence around his property.
In late July last year, state animal welfare agents seized 23 goats, as well as calves and chickens from Gould’s property. A department representative said the animals were malnourished and unhealthy, although Gould said he had just brought them from a livestock auction and was trying to nurse them back to health.
In August last year, agriculture officials dropped a case against Gould, who had not disposed of bodies of dead animals on his property over the previous winter.
The stipulation of dismissal, filed Aug. 6 in Waterville District Court, said the state and Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry reported Gould had cleaned up the dead animals and agreed to follow department regulations for removing future animal bodies.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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