ROSEDALE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – When Parke County authorities arrived on Gary L. Dunkley’s property Tuesday afternoon they found 10 dead animals, and several living in horrible conditions.
“This is one of the worst scenes I’ve ever seen as far as animal cruelty,” said Chief Deputy Jason Frazier.
Three pigs, seven young calves, one adult cow, five sheep, two goats and two ducks were removed from the property and taken to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health for examination.
According to Frazier there was no adequate shelter for the animals in Dunkley’s yard.
“Mostly feces left in their small pens that they could barely move in. No real dry area or shelter to get underneath,” explained Frazier. “Some of the pins were so small the animals couldn’t even move at all.”
Wood paletts were strung together with wire and used as make-shift cages for the animals.
“Once we opened those closures to load them into the stock trailer a couple of them acted like they, it appeared like they had never even walked before,”said Frazier. “Like they’d been penned up for so long, not been able to move.”
A few bales of hay were covered in a tarp on the property, however no food or water was available for the animals.
“Most of them looked underfed, malnourished. Two of the pigs were stored in a livestock trailer,” explained Frazier. “That was their home. So to me it wasn’t appropriate conditions.”
Dunkley is facing 10 counts of animal cruelty and 10 counts of failure to dispose of a dead animal, he is currently being held in the Parke County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Once the animals are released from the board of animal health’s care, a Parke County judge will decide where they will be sent.
“We’re just happy that we could save the animals that we could save,” said Frazier.
