BRANDON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — “I want to defend my son against these allegations.”
Vernon Scott’s son, 32-year-old Andrew Scott, is charged with animal cruelty and neglect. Oakland County Animal Control says six of the petting zoos 31 animals have died after they were recovered from the property. Andrew was in charge of taking care of the petting zoo animals according to Vernon.
“He feels horrible about this because he feeds them night and morning,” said Vernon Scott.
Investigators tell 7 Action News a witness familiar with the Brandon Township farm alerted authorities.
The farm was inspected back in October, where investigators say the observed several thin animals on the Scott property. They say a veterinarian tested fecal from miniature horses and found the animals were “loaded with worms”.
At the time of the original search neither the veterinarian nor investigators on scene believed that the condition of the animals warranted confiscation at that time. However, when investigators tried to get in touch with Andrew and never heard back they obtained a search warrant to search the farm for a second time.
They say they found two dead calves, two dead goats, and a dead rabbit.
“Yes they were dead, They’d only been dead for 24 hours. You got 24 hours or more to dispose them. They would have been disposed properly the following day,” said Vernon.
Oakland County Animal Control refutes those claims, stating that one of the goats was in an advanced state of decomposition.
Vernon says the thinning animals that were found on the farm were given to his family after being sold in an auction.
“This is the old mare that we don’t know how old she is and, yes, she needs her teeth floated, but we are trying to put weight on her, but she is just not gaining,” said Vernon.
Vernon says they also treated the miniature horses for worms after the initial visit from Oakland County Animal Control back in October. He says he never heard back from the veterinarian who took the fecal samples.
The animals have been taken away from the Scott Farm. Andrew Scott faces up to four years in prison if convicted on the animal abuse charges.
