County working to reach agreement in animal cruelty case
Cascade County officials are working on a plea deal with George Savoy in the criminal case against him, in which he is charged with one felony county of animal cruelty for the death of at least 65 cows on property west of Great Falls.
During their April 8 work session, County Commissioners discussed several pending contracts for the care of the rest of the herd, an estimated 230 cows.
During the meeting, Carey Ann Haight, chief of the civil division in the county attorney’s office, said the prosecution was working with Savoy and his attorney to finalize an agreement that would address the county’s costs of caring for the cattle, future care of the cattle and disposal of the dead animals.
Under the agreement, which has not been finalized, Savoy would be subject to a number of conditions, including inspections, according to the county attorney’s office.
The county attorney’s office is hoping to come to an agreement by 11 a.m. on April 9, and if an agreement is reached, they can cancel the hearing scheduled for April 10 in the county’s civil animal welfare petition, which was filed in district court, to seek cost sharing for the county’s cost of caring for the cows.
Should the prosecution reach an agreement with Savoy and his attorney, the county will not need to contract with Levi Lee for the continued care of the herd, Haight told commissioners.
The commission’s agenda for their April 14 meeting also included contracts with multiple members of the Halmes family, neighbors of the Savoy properties. Those contracts have been pulled from the agenda since the family has determined they don’t have the resources to care for Savoy’s herd while running their own ranching operation, county officials said during the April 8 meeting.
County commissioners all thanked the Halmes family for their assistance in the immediate care for the animals while the county initiated its investigation last week.
Here’s the background on this case:
County working with cowboy to care for cows in animal cruelty case, thanks community for donations
