Animal cruelty case involving prominent Tampa attorney. Check the link for the photos of the cows.

[Baitball Blogger]

Story has it all. Including name dropping AND University big wig cronyism.

Two Lake County officials resign amid probe into underweight cows involving prominent rancher

Lake County's animal-services director and her boss have resigned amid an investigation into whether a prominent rancher mistreated his cattle and should be charged with animal cruelty and neglect.

In her resignation letter, Animal Services Director Marjorie Boyd said she is leaving her $77,000-a-year job Friday in part because of an investigation involving more than 100 cattle belonging to a ranch run by Rex Farrior III, a well-connected former attorney from Tampa. Boyd was not specific in the letter, and she would not be interviewed.

The case, which was originally handled by the Animal Services Division and is now in the hands of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, also reached Lake County Attorney Sandy Minkoff. Emails to Minkoff obtained by the Sentinel show that Farrior's attorney denied that the cattle were malnourished, dropped names of two people the rancher knows — state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Attorney General Pam Bondi — and pointed out that his client was a University of Florida "big wig."

It all started Feb. 4, when Boyd and her staff received a complaint from a passer-by who reported seeing "thin" cows with "no hay" at a pasture on County Road 44A near Eustis, county records show


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/os-lake-county-skinny-cows-20130403,0,2059339.story

[Mnemosyne]

1. Thin? Those cows are pitifully emaciated. Somestimes You just have to hate people, such a blight on

this planet.

At least thier coats are shiny.

[tblue]

2. I can't bear to look. I'm sorry.

I cannot stand anyone hurting animals. Tell me what to do. I already don't eat meat.

[L0oniX]

3. Putnam and Pam Bondi both stink of good ol boy back door dealers. n/t

[Baitball Blogger]

5. This is classic Florida good ole boy.

I think it was the lawyer who dropped the names and mentioned that he was "a big wig" in Gainesville. That's how it's played.

"Stupid" rules if you make it through the right alma mater.

[flvegan]

4. Thanks for posting.

This will become a bigger story.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. kick