JOHNSTOWN, N.Y. -- Just three days after being called to this rural Fulton County goat farm, local SPCA officials were back again.
It was an anonymous tipster who told them on Tuesday that dead goats were piling up on this piece of property.
"They didn't want to give their name or number and said we better check this out. They said there were seven dead," Fulton County SPCA Director Sharon Hayes said.
After a closer look, they found more than 40 dead goats, and a 150 living in squalid, disease-ridden conditions.
Inspectors returned to the farm where earlier this week they found 40 dead goats and more than a hundred living in poor conditions. The owner was planning on selling them at auction, but as our Mark Repasky tells us, may have had a change of heart.
"There were visible signs of infestation. Lice, Mange, there hooves and horns were not being maintained in any way," said DA Louise Sira.
The goats' owner, Robin Dillenbeck, was arrested and charged with animal neglect.
Authorities said she became overwhelmed with the growing goat population over the winter.
Sira said she had originally planned on bringing the goats to a slaughter house but had a change of heart.
"She said she could never bring herself to to actually do that. That once she had the goats her emotional attachment to the goats overcame her. And then she was not able to do that, and so I think that was her explanation as to how her numbers have increased," Sira said.
Officials said Dillenbeck has been very cooperative in the investigation.
She's already taken the dead goats from this location and buried them at a different site.
But just to be safe, they've gotten a court order that will allow them to return to this site randomly to inspect it.