Iowa Man Charged After Dozens of Animals Found Neglected, Dead

This morning Dubuque Police arrested 30-year-old Cesar Leonel Gonzalez on animal neglect charges involving over a dozen animals, according to KCCI.

The report from KCCI states that on December 7, police received a report of the potential neglect of a donkey at a home off Roosevelt St. When animal control investigated, they found the donkey in poor health. Several days later an Animal Control Officer returned to the home for reports of animals on the loose and found several dead animals. When authorities returned on December 13 to check on the other animals, they found "at least 28 animals, 13 of which were dead, still laying outside."

Authorities later removed 26 animals that were found in poor health from the farm, which included 6 horses, a pony, a miniature pony, 4 goats, 2 sheep, a cow, 5 pigs, 2 geese, a duck, a chick, and a domesticated pigeon. Authorities told KCCI that "the bones and rib cages of some of the animals could be seen, many had matted hair, and their food was dirty and poor quality." The animals found dead included a goat, piglet, donkey, pony, and multiple chickens.

Gonzalez is charged with livestock neglect resulting in death, eight counts of failure to dispose of a dead animal, and multiple counts of livestock neglect.