Man faces animal cruelty charges
A Berks County man faces court on dozens of criminal counts after authorities were called to his property and found several dead rabbits in crates, calves in cramped pens with little or no shelter, and other pens containing only the skeletal remains of chickens.
Michael Diehl, 41, of the 200 block of Baldy Hill Road, District Township, remained free to await further court action after waiving a hearing Tuesday on all of the charges before District Judge Steven M. Cheiffo in Oley Township.
The charges were filed May 3 by Harry D. Brown, humane officer with the Animal Rescue League of Berks County.
According to the arrest:
On April 7, Brown was called to meet a constable and state trooper at Diehl’s property. The trooper had done a welfare check that afternoon and found animals kept in filthy pens inside and outside of the home.
Brown walked through the property and documented the following:
Four rabbit pens, each containing a dead rabbit, behind the house. The hutches had no bedding to protect the rabbits from the elements.
Three older calves in a fencedin area with a single shelter that was too small to hold all three animals. Two younger calves in a pen with no shelter.
Two other pens with only the skeletal remains of chickens.
A pen holding geese that also contained chicken skeletons.
In the house, seven dogs in crates — some too small for the dogs — in the living room, with feces all about the home.
In the basement, a filthy room with a white-tailed deer sharing
space with multiple bird cages. The deer’s only food was presumed to be birdseed; the cages were filthy and one contained a dead bird impaled on a wire.
In the garage, a chinchilla in a filthy pen with no shelter.
One baby pig in each of the two bathrooms, with urine and feces on the floor.
Brown informed the trooper that the animals could not live in those conditions. The trooper obtained a search warrant so the animals could be confiscated.
The next morning, Brown along with five other shelter employees met the trooper and constable at Diehl’s home and loaded the animals — 88 in all — for transport to the shelter in Cumru Township.
Animal Rescue League spokeswoman Jennifer Breton said Diehl signed over rights to all of the animals except his seven dogs. All of the animals that were signed over to the ARL have found homes or gone to other rescues, she said.
No animals were left with Diehl, she said.
All of the dogs, except one, are still at the ARL. The other dog was returned to the rescue shelter from which Diehl adopted it, Breton said.
Contact reporter Steven Henshaw at 610-371-5028