Islander charged with two counts

A Puget Island man has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty in the second degree.

Wahkiakum County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow filed the charges Monday in Wahkiakum District Court against East Sunny Sands resident Terry Vik.

The charges are gross misdemeanors with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and or a $1,000 fine.

The charges stem from investigations by the Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office and the Cowlitz Humane Society. Responding to complaints from neighbors of Vik, officers executed a search warrant on land owned or leased by Vik to look for evidence of neglect or cruelty

In the criminal complaint filed with the court, Bigelow based the two charges on care provided for a horse over 20 years of age and a black Angus cow. A veterinarian had inspected the animals and reported that the horse had bad teeth which may have contributed to it being malnourished, and that the cow, which had given birth, was malnourished. The veterinarian did sedate the horse and perform dental work on it.

The officers also inspected a herd of cattle which Vik had been letting live wild, foraging for food and drinking from drainage ditches. No charges were filed about care of these animals.

"The safety of the whole herd is my main priority," Bigelow said Tuesday. "The animals are still in his custody, and my first concern is that they're well fed and receiving veterinary treatment."

Neighbors have told The Eagle that a portion of the herd has been corralled and is being fed.