Sheriff seizes cattle, owner charged with neglect

A man charged with neglecting his cattle turned himself in to the sheriff after 29 of his livestock were confiscated Friday.

Andrew Vaske, 28, of rural Remsen, faced the charge after the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office investigated complaints of neglected cows and calves on the Vaske farm about two miles southwest of Remsen.

A veterinarian recently examined the livestock and recommended removing the animals immediately, the sheriff's report stated.

Friday morning, the sheriff's office directed the removal of 15 cows from property at 18507 Polk Ave. and seized 13 calves and a bull from a second property at 14563 190th Street.

Dead animals were found at both locations.

At 1:30 p.m., Vaske turned himself in to the sheriff's office, where he was charged with one count of animal neglect, a simple misdemeanor, and booked into the Plymouth County Jail. Vaske was soon released.

The investigation by the sheriff's office and Plymouth County Attorney's Office is ongoing.

Additional charges are likely, according to the sheriff's report.

The living animals are in poor condition and being cared for at an undisclosed location, under the sheriff's supervision, according to the sheriff's report.

The investigation is related to an earlier situation presented to the Plymouth County Supervisors.

Neighbors complained about straying livestock from property owned by Aloysius Vaske Jr. and Susan Vaske, parents of Andrew Vaske, who owns the livestock and leases the property from them.

The neighbors presented the issue last year, then again this month, and the supervisors declared a habitual trespass to property owners.