WATERVILLE (AP) — Maine agriculture officials have dropped a case against a Sidney farmer who they say didn’t dispose of bodies of animals that had died on his property.
The Morning Sentinel reports a dismissal was filed Aug. 6 in Waterville District Court.
Mark Gould has been investigated in the past for allegedly leaving dead livestock where they lay on his farm grounds. State law requires farmers to remove them to prevent the spread of disease.
The attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit against Gould in May.
The state and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said in a stipulation of the dismissal that Gould had cleaned up the animals and agreed to follow department regulations for removing future animal bodies.
Gould says the case was “just harassment by the state.”
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less