Convicted animal abuser facing new charges for alleged cruelty to cattle her

By MEGAN STRICKLAND

for the Lake County Leader

A St. Ignatius man convicted last year of abusing two horses is now facing a felony count of cruelty to animals.

Raymond Yoder, 50, was not present at an arraignment in Lake County District Court last week and the arraignment was continued.

According to court documents, a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy was sent to Hillside Road in St. Ignatius on July 10, 2015 to investigate a call about 20 to 30 head of cattle that had allegedly been left without food or water in an enclosure.

“The enclosure was much too small for the cattle and did not provide adequate food or water for the cattle,” Deputy Lake County Attorney Ben Anciaux wrote in court documents.

Later, the department got a call about the cattle being on the road.

“Several neighbors of the defendant also claimed the defendant let his cattle roam and feed on the road right of way and on his neighbor’s property,” Anciaux wrote.

Yoder was convicted in September 2015 of two counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals for not feeding two horses.

In that case, a Ronan woman was forwarded information about three emaciated horses that were in Yoder’s care. The horses were found without food or water and had been eating the trees. A veterinarian rated the horses’ condition as a 2 on a scale from 1 to 10 where a 1 is a skeleton and 10 being obese. The woman was eventually able to buy one of the horses and rescue the other two.

convicted last year of abusing two horses is now facing a felony count of cruelty to animals.

Raymond Yoder, 50, was not present at an arraignment in Lake County District Court last week and the arraignment was continued.

According to court documents, a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy was sent to Hillside Road in St. Ignatius on July 10, 2015 to investigate a call about 20 to 30 head of cattle that had allegedly been left without food or water in an enclosure.

“The enclosure was much too small for the cattle and did not provide adequate food or water for the cattle,” Deputy Lake County Attorney Ben Anciaux wrote in court documents.

Later, the department got a call about the cattle being on the road.

“Several neighbors of the defendant also claimed the defendant let his cattle roam and feed on the road right of way and on his neighbor’s property,” Anciaux wrote.

Yoder was convicted in September 2015 of two counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals for not feeding two horses.

In that case, a Ronan woman was forwarded information about three emaciated horses that were in Yoder’s care. The horses were found without food or water and had been eating the trees. A veterinarian rated the horses’ condition as a 2 on a scale from 1 to 10 where a 1 is a skeleton and 10 being obese. The woman was eventually able to buy one of the horses and rescue the other two.