Pennsylvania Farmer Charged With 832 Counts of Animal Cruelty

Last week, Pennsylvania State Police filed 832 summary counts of animal cruelty against Daniel Lee Clark, Sr. That's a big for any case, but it's even bigger when you consider that it was for the deaths of pigs, when farm animal cruelty is often allowed to occur outside of the law, and Clark was hit with a charge for every single one of them.

Nearly 2,000 Change.org community members signed a petition set up by the Animal Law Coalition calling for prosecution of Daniel Clark, making sure officials couldn't ignore this case.

"I applaud the authorities in Fulton County for bringing charges here," said Laura Allen, founder and executive director of the Animal Law Coalition. "Many state  laws actually exclude farm animals from protections against cruelty, or abuse and neglect of farm animals is simply ignored.  These animals are sentient beings and just as deserving of protection as any other animal. What does it say about us as human beings if we fail to protect these animals that are dependent on us?  Animal cruelty is a crime and I’m glad to see this horrific case taken seriously."

The chamber of horrors was discovered last month after the property's ownership was transferred to Clark's estranged wife, Kerron, and a potential buyer went to check it out. Investigating officers said that the pigs had been left in the barns without access to food or water and no way to escape, though there was evidence that they'd tried.

What does Daniel Clark have to say about all this? According to the Chambersburg Public Opinion, Clark says there was a "die off" of pigs back in early 2009 due to a malfunction in the liquid manure system. So, rather than being a case of recently leaving them behind to starve, Clark's story is that the pigs drowned, froze or died of hypothermia when liquid manure flooded the barn and he didn't bother calling for help.

I can't imagine how that qualifies as a justification for the deaths of over 800 animals. (Not to mention that it means he was living on a property with hundreds of carcasses, that only he knew about, for over a year and a half.) Given the link between animal cruelty and violence toward humans, it should come as no surprise that Daniel has a domestic violence protection order issued against him.

Dennis Bumbaugh, the humane officer with Better Days Animal League who was first to investigate the scene, doesn't buy Clark's story. He told the Public Opinion that there was nothing at the scene that led him to believe this had anything to do with a manure system malfunction. Bumbaugh says "there was definitely neglect."

The ASPCA assisted local authorities in the investigation. Between mummification and decomposition, the cause of death could not be determined. The Department of Agriculture is still deciding whether to file additional charges for the improper disposal of animal carcasses.

The charges levied against Daniel Clark carry penalties between $50 and $750 and 90 days in jail for each count. It's a huge step that this cruelty against farm animals was recognized by the law in the first place, but let's make sure this isn't just symbolic. Join the Animal Law Coalition in thanking authorities for pursuing this case and calling for the maximum sentence allowed by law.

Photo credit: Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden