A hearing in Whatcom County Superior Court on June 29th resulted in an order dismissing with prejudice the outstanding charges against Seth Snook 12 months after a 12-month agreement was entered into whereby a veterinarian was to inspect the cows at his farm monthly and Snook agreed not to permit any pigs on the farm.
The charges followed claims by a Whatcom Humane Society (WHS) Animal Control officer and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) veterinarian who visited Snookbrook Farms on Kickerville Road in April of 2017 and claimed to have found at least 28 animals being starved and some already dead.
Snook was charged with 5 counts of animal cruelty associated specifically with the conditions of 4 dairy cows and one deceased pig. 23 animals were removed from the property by WHS employees and some were ultimately euthanized due to their condition.
Ultimately, Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Eric Richey is said to have requested, and the court agreed, 3 of the charges of animal cruelty be dropped and the other 2 reduced to misdemeanors. In addition, the court ordered 4 calves and 2 cows seized be returned to Snook. A 12-month continuance based on the terms of the agreement was then set in place.
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Click for more informationAt the time of the seizure, Snook said by phone he was disappointed the cows had been taken saying, “they should be out eating the green grass.” When asked if starving for 6 months was an accurate assessment, he said it was not and a veterinarian would be able to tell.
In February of this year, Snook filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against WHS, Whatcom County, WHS Executive Director Laura Clark and WHS employee Rebecca Crowley accusing them of violating his civil rights including, among other things, unlawful forfeiture and seizure of property.
The amended complaint filed with the Court states,
Whatcom Humane Society employees enter[ed] Mr. Snook’s property without consent and remove[d] Plaintiff’s property disturbing the land without lawful authority to do so. Whatcom County was put on notice of this and took no corrective actions.
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Snook’s lawsuit also accuses the defendants of theft of livestock, trespass and defamation. As of the date of this story, the lawsuit was continuing with a jury trial tentatively scheduled to begin in March of 2019.
Update: The court entered a judgment against the defendants in the amount of $62,500 on October 26, 2018.
The dairy property at 6804 Kickerville Road was purchased by Laird Dairy LLC in November of 2017 according to Whatcom County Assessor’s records.