Watonwan County authorities are investigating a case of animal neglect after several dogs were found dead and others in poor condition at a rural property earlier this week. According to the Watonwan County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the property on November 15th after receiving a report from the owners, who said they had allowed a friend to operate a nonprofit pet rescue on the site. When deputies arrived, they discovered multiple dogs suffering from poor health. The rescue operator was contacted and given a chance to address the animals’ conditions. But the following day, November 16th, deputies were called back this time discovering several deceased dogs on the property. The county’s investigator, Adam Butler, and the Animal Humane Society’s Critical Response Team were brought in to assist. The Humane Society removed the surviving animals for treatment and evaluation. The sheriff’s office says an investigation report has now been forwarded to the Watonwan County Attorney’s Office, where potential charges are under review. No further details are being released at this time.
Press Release: Wantonwan County Sheriff Office Press Release
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Jackson County Sheriff’s Office reported 22 calls from November 17th to November 20th. Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in the county, to a report of online sextortion,looked into a report of fraud, conducted several traffic stops, a civil standby to keep the peace, and assisted the Windom Police Department with a counterfeit money investigation. The Okabena Fire Department and deputies responded to a garage fire NE of Round Lake. The garage was a total loss and the Jackson Fire Department was paged to a brush fire in Petersburg. A full listing of all calls for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is available by clicking link below.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Report November 17th to November 20th
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Today’s Meetings include:
- Windom Area Health Governing Board at 5:30pm in the Large Conference Room at the hospital.
- The Windom Area School Board at 6:30pm in the Windom City Council Chambers. The meeting can be viewed live on YouTube at Media SB22.
- Jeffers City Council at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
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Murray County Board of Commissioners will be meeting Tuesday November 25th at 8:30am in the Murray County Government Center. If you would like to listen in by calling or view the meeting via zoom you can find the information on the Murray County Homepage. On the agenda are the latest ditch bills. an inspection report along with updates on ongoing engineering projects. Public Works Director Justin Hoffmann will share bid results for the Racetrack Lighting Request for Proposals and discuss the Makotah Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride.
Murray County Board Commissioners will also hold a Truth-in-Taxation Public Hearing at 6pm.
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Construction of the new Des Moines River bridge on Cottonwood County Road 15 is running behind schedule. At the Cottonwood County Commissioners meeting last week, the commissioners were informed from Interim County Engineer Stephen Schnieder, that the crews were still pouring concrete on the project. Once the concrete cures, railings will be installed. It was noted that construction can continue in nearly any weather, and while some finishing work will wait until spring, the bridge should be ready for traffic as soon as it’s safe—likely sometime next month. The bridge had been expected to open by Thanksgiving, but it is now estimated that the work will extend into December.