A woman from Ayer, Massachusetts, was charged with 30 counts of animal cruelty, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said Monday.
Ruth Maxant-Schulz, 77, is facing the charges in connection with an investigation that resulted in 162 animals being seized from a property, according to authorities.
Police said they found dead animals in cardboard boxes, and others that were emaciated and suffering.
NBC10 Boston spoke with a neighbor who said this has been a problem for many years. That neighhor, who asked not to be identified, said she was not surprised there was an arrest.
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"There is just a lot of stuff there and maybe like a hoarding situation? So, I figured the animals weren't in the best of care."
Other neighbors said they find the woman intimidating, along with a sign on her property that reads:
"NOTICE: RUTH'S FREE RANGE FARM. ANIMALS RAISED IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: MAKE FUNNY SOUNDS, HAVE STRANGE SMELLS, PEE, POOP & HAVE SEX OUTSIDE. ALL PROTECTED BY MASSACHUSETTS LAWS. UNLESS YOU CAN TOLERATE ANIMAL NOISE, ODORS, AND OUTDOOR SEX, CONSIDER THIS BEFORE PURCHASING A PROPERTY NEAR HERE."
Court documents show several pictures of dead goats in cardboard boxes, dead chickens in cages and animals with abscesses.
Maxant-Schulz was arraigned Monday in Ayer District Court. She was ordered to stay away from animals while awaiting her trial. She was released on personal recognizance and is scheduled to return to court in June.
The animals are being cared for by the MSPCA.
