Michigan Couple Facing Charges For Allegedly Starving Dozens Of Deer To Death
A couple who were managing a herd of deer on their property in Bay County, Michigan, are facing animal cruelty charges after several deer died under their care.
This is a bizarre story about a couple who have been going through a divorce for the past two years and live on a piece of property in Beaver Township. The couple still lived on the property but were not on speaking terms, living in different parts of the home.
The husband claims he and his wife are supposed to take care of the deer and split the cost but the wife says she has never had anything to do with the deer.
MLive reported both Pamela A. Reinhardt and her husband are each facing a charge of abandonment of or cruelty to 25 or more animals. The pair are looking at up to seven years of prison and a $10,000 find.
The husband, whose name has not been released yet since he has not been arraigned in court, stopped by the Bay County Animal Services and Adoption Center, on September 28, to let them no know he could no longer afford to feed the deer and to let them know his wife was also responsible for the care of the deer.
The husband again stopped by Animal Services, on October 7, to let them know he spotted half a dozen dead deer on the property. The husband told them something needed to be done.
Animal Services contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to investigate the property. When they arrived at the couple's home, they could see dead deer on the property from the driveway in plain view.
After investigating the property, they found 36 dead deer. The remaining deer that were alive appeared thin with their bones showing and looked malnourished.
Reinhardt told DNR officers her husband was supposed to be feeding them and didn't know he wasn't. She was instructed to get hay and grain immediately and to bury the deer that were dead on the property.
When officers came back on October 11, they saw the deer had been buried and there was feed for the deer, but when officers came back four days later they found five dead deer and no food in the feeders. The remaining hay bales and grain were found in the barn.
As of now, no deer are on the property. Reinhardt is set to appear in court later this month. Her husband is still awaiting his arraignment.