Target: Keith Coleman, Sheriff of Ottawa County, KS
Goal: Take allegedly severely neglected farm animals into custody and away from harm or risk of death.
A Kansas farm owner has seemingly lethally neglected dozens, if not hundreds, of animals for nearly a decade. The most recent incident involves 60 animals that include sheep, goats, and even rabbits. The alleged injuries ranged from bloody and oozing infections to limping to severe emaciation due to lack of food or water. A veritable graveyard of bones also reportedly littered the property.
A sheriff’s deputy went to the premises in May after these reports emerged and sent his findings back to the sheriff’s office and eventually the district attorney. The owner of the property, Kevin Vesterberg, was charged with just ten counts of animal cruelty. Despite the apparent widespread evidence of pervasive cruelty and previous charges of animal cruelty dating back to 2012, this man was not arrested. In fact, the district attorney in charge appeared to mock the case in a since-deleted tweet.
The deputy who originally responded to the most recent incident has gone back to the property daily. Why has he felt compelled to perform this ritual? The animals allegedly subjected to tremendous pain and neglect were not even seized from the farm. The sheriff’s office reportedly told advocacy group Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) that they had no intention of taking the evidently distressed animals, although Kansas law dictates such action. Even after CAPS was given permission to take over care of the animals, a judge revoked the order at the last moment. Only this one deputy seemingly cares enough to ensure the animals he discovered receive the most basic care.
Sign the petition below to demand officials ensure the safety and well-being of these vulnerable animals immediately.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Sheriff Coleman,
A DA who allegedly makes sarcastic comments about “goat mugshots,” a veterinarian who reportedly shows up for a wellness check a week late, and a sheriff’s department that will seemingly not even rescue the 50-plus victims of an alleged crime: is this sad set of circumstances that passes for justice in Ottawa County? The animal cruelty case brought against Kevin Vesterberg is seemingly a failure of duty and responsibility at every turn. The fact that Mr. Vesterberg supposedly did not even merit a slap on the wrist for similar charges of lethal cruelty nearly a decade ago is bad enough. The continued apparent exploitation and endangerment of animals he now faces charges of neglecting to near-death is unacceptable.
Kansas law explicitly states: “any public health officer, law enforcement officer, licensed veterinarian or officer or agent of any animal shelter or other appropriate facility may take into custody any animal, upon either private or public property, that clearly shows evidence of cruelty to animals.” Do your jobs and liberate these living beings from potentially further harm and tragedy.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Sounds like those people in the ‘heartland’ who brag about their morals and patriotism are morally bankrupt and un-American at heart. This farm of horrors is a black eye on Kansas and shows a total disdain for the laws of this country and this state. Shame on everyone involved in this scam and who is happy to turn a blind eye to blatant animal abuse and cruelty. Kansas, you’re better than this, act like it and take care of this sick situation.
Wow. That’s exactly right. I couldn’t have said it better myself!
AMEN! I SAY KILL THE BA@#$%&*!!
Damn Naila! Settle down. How about we just beat them unconscious and within an inch of their lives. Then let them languish with their injuries going unattended, un-cleaned, and oozing too? That way they can suffer slowly like the poor helpless animals?
Anyone?
Agreed. Let them feel the pain and suffering they put the animals through.
I agree, all of these scumbag animal abusers should be tortured for a long time until they are on the brink of death, then nurse them slowly back to health and repeat!!! A never ending life of torture and pain!!! I hope they all have bad karma because we don’t have a fn justice system!!!
TOTALLY AGREE SG!!!!! AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND ONLY THEN WILL ALL AND ANY ANIMAL ABUSE END!!!!!
perfect!! lets!
SO, righteous JoAnne, this ONE sick individual represents everyone living in the “heartland”?? What is WRONG with you?? There are good, and bad people in EVERY city, and town across the entire GLOBE!!! People, who live in nice neighborhoods, are shocked when they learn a boy they watched grow up is arrested 30 years later for killing his family, and they tell a reporter on live tv, “He was always friendly when we’d cross paths, I never would’ve seen this coming!” I guarantee you, sadly, you have at least one someone living very close to you that is abusing either animals, and/or, his or her children, so PLEASE get off your righteous high horse, because this has NOTHING to do with WHERE this guy lives!!! He is apparently just a cruel, and sick individual, and sadly they are ALL around us EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING in your neighborhood!!!
IM CALLING BULLSHIT ON YOU I WORKED IN WISCONSIN ON A DAIRY FARM AND YOU ARE WRONG THERE ARE COUNTLESS SOULLESS “FARMERS” THAT DO NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF ANIMALS HOUR BY HOUR DAY BY DAY IN FACT THEY RELISH IN IT AND HOPE IT PISSES OFF ANIMAL ACTIVISTS INSTEAD OF SPENDING ONE DIME SPARING IMMENSE SUFFERING ITS VERY COMMON NOT EXCEPTIONAL ALL OVER THE MIDWEST!
Call BS if you want. It still happens ALL OVER THE WORLD,not just in certain places.
Well said Kristine! People always have to make things political. One rotten apple doesn’t make the whole bag rotten. People continue to abuse animals on a daily basis EVERYWHERE. Eye for an eye needs to be done so maybe animals would get the justice they deserve.
The unfortunate fact is, Kristine, that in this area, there are a NUMBER of people with the power to get those animals help and also arrest and charge the person who neglected them to the point of death and NONE OF THEM ARE DOING ANYTHING. While there are walking pieces of shit all over the world, in the US, sadly, the South and the West seem to have particularly heartless and reprehensible attitudes toward farm animals because this is traditionally what they are taught and there is less advanced education.
I had a relationship years ago with a Missouri farmer and I can tell you he was about 40 years behind the times of the east coast. So don’t pretend you don’t know the truth.
well said!!! the powers that be are the blame time and again!!!
Kansas the hands of the Mafia??? You stink.
The people who work there stink don’t do a thing all garbage should be fired
Once again, our judicial system at its worse! These officials should jailed as well. Better yet,put them in the same situation as these poor animals and for as long as these animals have suffered.
Exactly.
I agree. The farmer seems to have done this for a long time, therefore the sheriff, deputies (except one caring one), and judges are all part of the problem. I wonder if they might be related??! I hope the farmer has no family to abuse and teach that cruelty is okay. Animal cruelty is part of a pattern begun as a kid, then they grow up & abuse whoever & whatever comes into their lives. The judge, sheriff & all who watch this horror continue are part of the problem. Vote them out when the time comes, take pictures for evidence, most of keep involving SPCA & any other animal advocacy groups. Animals should not be treated this way.
This is absolutely heartbreaking. These animals are innocent and has suffered enough in the hands of a so called farmer. This is inhumane and cruel. We need to be their voices and protect them from harm like abuse, neglect, starvation, and hoarding situations. This person needs to be punished to the fullest. You wonder why more people are becoming vegetarians and vegans.
Do your job you lazy and ignorant redneck. Oh, I forgot, you 6th grade educated hicks go to to church every Sunday pretending to worship Jesus then turn blind eyes to pals’ sociopathic and criminal behavior.
That vet is a piece of crap, too. Probably chose that profession because he gets off “stimulating” bulls for artificial insemination.
You “people” are pathetic.
Well put, Yolanda. 👏😲
THEY ARE “EVIL DEMONS” THAT NEED TO BE SEVERELY PUNISHED FOR ANIMAL ABUSE,,,, ASAP‼️
Cruelty! Abuse! Neglect! Appalling behavior by the ‘paid’ persons that are supposed to be protecting these innocents. Do your jobs! Enforce laws! Prosecute this disgusting scumbag.
THEY MUST LOSE THEIR JOBS,,,ASAP‼️
IN PRISON THATS PERFECT PLACE,,,,,THEY DESERVE TO SUFFER ‼️
Too many people get away with too much. Time for serious punishment. Some humans are wanting air. Get rid.
Sociopath Kevin Vesterberg also received 2 small PPP loans. Civilized states’ taxpayers are tired of their hard earned money going to support alleged criminals.
Where did the DA get his law degree? Out of a Cracker Jack box?
I hope everyone appalled by this is vegan, what do you think happens to the TEN BILLION land animals killed each year in just the US? Not to mention the billions of fish. All animals exploited for food, die for food, the majority “produced” in horrific manners, confined, mutilated, and violently killed. Don’t pretend moral outrage at this incident while eating other dead animals who also suffered. Vegan is the only humane, otherwise you’re just fueling the system that legitimatizes animal cruelty, accepted as normalized violence.
Standard – boiled to death:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/17/chickens-freezing-to-death-and-boiled-alive-failings-in-us-slaughterhouses-exposed
99%:
https://sentientmedia.org/u-s-farmed-animals-live-on-factory-farms/
well stated truth Stacey..and this is why I am vegan…..I am so appalled that these low life scum bags can get away with torturing innocent animals and only get a slap on the wrist, yet do something to another human and your ass is slapped in jail…..what kind of justice is this???? both humans and animals breathe and yet animals always get the s*** end of the stick….my heart hurts for all the abused neglected animals that are suffering at the hands of dumb a** ignorant humans…..so just to state that karma is a b***ch and your day will come for what you have done to the innocent.
Agree, thanks, Rebecca. What’s horrendous is ppl in the US actually think animals want to suffer and die for humans, there are no “protections” for animals bred to be dead. All animals exploited for food in the US are denied “coverage” by the (meaningless) Animal Welfare Act. And for those who champion “humane slaughter” (?!?): what form of killing is more humane than NOT killing? They get boiled, cut up, mutilated for a fckn burger. Shame on humans.
Kevin needs to pay for all the care of the animals that he still has. The DA needs to be fired if he cannot do his job. Kevin needs to be starved and denied any medical care. Take the animals away. Bless the Sheriff for his continued caring acts
The judicial system is being bought off to purposely ignore this abuse torture and killing. Money talks. Hope they are making enough at the expense of the lives of innocent animals that don’t have a say in this exploitation. Shame on all of you for allowing this abuse torture and killing and torment to continue. You are among the lowlife garbage of the country for this abysmal situation. Right the wrongs here or pay in hell.
I agree with every comment above. All of the people who turned a blind eye to the suffering of these defenseless animals should be held accountable. The “owner” should turn these animals over to someone who will properly care for them and all the “officials” should be fired for not adhering to the law. These are living, breathing animals who can’t take care of themselves. These horrible humans need to be punished for this situation
Do your fucking job, lazy pos!
NO!! THEY SHOULD BE FIRED AND THROWN IN PRISON,,,IMMEDIATELY‼️
Do your fucking job! What a bunch of inbred heartless morons. Arrest the oxygen thief of a “farmer” & prosecute his pathetic ass!
Sounds like that part of Kansas has some pretty messed up, dysfunctional public servants who lack empathy and who are devoid of the sense of responsibility normally held by public officials for the well-being of others. Those public servants need to be held accountable for misconduct, as in failure to serve and protect and in serving justice. What a disgrace to this country and to its inhabitants, human and animal both. That place needs to be investigated from top to bottom and those guilty of misconduct need to be removed.
Letting people like this jerk off easy is a big part of the reason animal cruelty and abuse continues. Would a judge let a person off that easily if it had been the judge’s family who had been abused? It’s time we got some common sense back into our heads in this country; no wonder we continue to slide down into increased crime and evil.
THROW ALL OF THEIR “EVIL ASS” IN PRISON FOR DEMON BEHAVIOR ‼️
THEY DESERVE THE SAME TREATMENT,,,,ASAP‼️
Heartbreaking. These poor babies 🙁
Kill the monsters who did this to these poor babies!