A Fayette man is being accused of letting over 3,000 hogs die of starvation earlier this month.

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According to a report in KWWL, Derek Smith turned himself in to Fayette County deputies on June 9th after an investigation was opened for livestock neglect charges. The investigation was opened after a criminal complaint accusing Smith of neglecting 3,200 feeder hogs on June 2nd.

The neglect led to 3,000 hogs dying from “lack of feed” and the other 200 being killed because of the condition they were found in.

There are four people being listed as witnesses of the neglect says KWWL; Chief Deputy James Davis, the CEO of Valley Pork, a lawyer for Valley Pork, and a veterinarian from Waverly.

Court documents say that Smith was working for Valley Pork LLC, whose owner lives in Dubuque

In Iowa, livestock neglect is defined as housing livestock in a place that does not provide care that lines up with animal husbandry practices, deprives the animals of substance, or causes livestock pain and suffering.  By purposely neglecting livestock, a person is committing a serious misdemeanor. This means the punishment can be anything from a $430 to a $2,560 fine as well as jail time of no more than a year.

Even on private property, law enforcement can rescue livestock from neglect situations under certain circumstances.

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