Man in animal cruelty case cited before

A Swan River man facing a slew of criminal animal cruelty charges after a recent investigation has twice been charged before under Manitoba's Animal Control Act, provincial court records show.

Walter Goba, 68, is set to appear for trial in his home community in April in connection to four animal control offences.

On Feb. 18, 2009, Goba was issued offence notices for operating a kennel without a valid licence, operating a commercial breeding operation without a valid licence and keeping or confining an animal in a facility containing items or debris constituting a hazard to an animal.

He was also ticketed in late March for allegedly keeping or confining an animal to an insanitary enclosure that significantly impaired an animal's health or well-being.

Wednesday, RCMP announced Goba will face 44 criminal animal cruelty charges and will make a first court appearance on Jan. 19.

The charges relate to to 27 dogs, two donkeys and 15 horses found to be unhealthy and neglected which were seized from his farm in the Rural Municipality of Swan River on Dec. 1.

Local animal-welfare workers said about 17 dogs seized were living in a barn and had skin growing over the chains they were restrained with.

The horses and donkeys were emaciated and had neither feed nor water, Debbie Peterson said.