SAC CITY, Iowa — An Early, Iowa, woman pleaded not guilty Monday in connection with the deaths of more than 1,000 pigs in Sac County hog confinement facilities.
Elana Laber, 33, entered her written pleas in Sac County District Court to two counts each of livestock neglect and first-degree criminal mischief.
Law enforcement officers discovered the dead pigs in two confinement sites in late June after receiving a report. The pigs were in different stages of decomposition and had had no access to feed or water.
According to the Sac County Sheriff's Office, Laber, whose job was to maintain both sites, told deputies someone had shut off the breakers that control the electricity the night before, causing the pigs' deaths. A veterinarian inspection determined the pigs had been dead for at least a week. Laber later told deputies she knew the pigs had been dead for a week but did not know what to do.
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The pigs were owned by Corey AGR Inc., of Lytton, Iowa. The estimated loss is more than $150,000.