Tuesday night’s meeting at the Wilbert Cafe in Cotton was grassroots citizenship at its best.

However, unfortunately, the issues raised, if fully substantiated, involve county government most definitely not at its best. In this case it’s law enforcement and the Humane Society out of Golden Valley, Minn., that St. Louis County contracts with to handle alleged animal abuse cases.

About 70 rural area residents attended a gathering with County Commissioners Keith Nelson and Dennis Fink on the issue. We applaud the two commissioners for responding to residents’ concerns and doing a lot of listening.

We believe this issue definitely warrants a full county hearing with all parties involved in attendance. That wasn’t the case Tuesday night as no one from the Sheriff’s Department or the Humane Society were there.

The stories told by residents raise serious concerns about possible improper and excessive action taken by a law enforcement officer and a Golden Valley Human Society representative.

The citizens’ claims include:

• Livestock and companion animals being taken for no reason.

• The integrity of homeowners being verbally questioned.

• The entering of homes and property without prior consent.

The major incident that triggered this meeting is particularly troubling.

Wade Hanson of the Golden Valley Humane Society traveled to Kelsey last Nov. 22 to investigate a report of animal neglect. However, he went to the wrong farm, which is owned by Mark and Loretta Bickford, entered the house and left a “Minnesota animal welfare statue compliance warning” in the entryway.

The Bickfords, who have horses, dogs and fowl, paid for a veterinarian to inspect all their animals. All were found to be healthy and well maintained.

Animal abuse is something that should outrage all caring and humane people. We have reported on it before, even broke a major story on it in the Kelsey area just a couple of years ago. And it sickens us.

But government abuse of people’s rights is also outrageous. We also find that to be terribly odorous.

If these claims are true — and we have heard no reason to believe otherwise — then the very sanctity of private property ownership and individual civil liberties was severely violated.

That cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. And that cannot be allowed to happen again in any similar form.

COTTON — A dispute on animal care and authorities’ visits to central St. Louis County rural properties the past several months has some residents squared off with authorities investigating any violation allegations.

The issue was brought to a head at a March 20 meeting in Cotton, when about 70 residents gathered regarding visits to properties by state humane investigator Wade Hanson and sheriff’s Sgt. Marleen Hall. The two have been following up on complaints received about care of animals at rural properties.

Sheriff Ross Litman in general defended his personnel and the visits, which are in response to specific allegations. Area resident Mark Bickford has said he has not been given a complaint on any treatment of his animals, and disputes both authorities’ contentions of how his animals are kept, and what he says was unauthorized entry into his home.

Several items Litman wanted to clear up in a recent phone discussion on the situation was that St. Louis County does not contract with any animal shelter or humane society in Minnesota in the animal care visits, and state humane investigator Wade Hanson is not a department member.

Hanson, from Golden Valley, works with the Minnesota Federated Humane Society, a group of human societies, is one of two such agents in the state, and does have statewide authority under Statute 343 like any Minnesota peace officer to respond to complaints on animal treatment. In most cases, he notifies local law enforcement before responding and takes a veterinarian along, and he has a good working relationship with his department’s personnel, Litman said.

“The man has got a high level of expertise,’’ he noted, adding that Hanson was a great resource statewide and in the county on such matters.

Hanson has the ability to place animals in shelters or with humane societies, upon voluntary surrender or else seizure, if animals’ well-being is at issue. The majority of complaints he investigates involve domestic animals, not livestock.

“He’s done a very good job of investigating these complaints in St. Louis County, and working in concert with local authorities,’’ Litman said.

There is a perception that authorities are showing up on rural properties doing pro-active investigations, but they are responding to specific complaints, the sheriff said. They receive dozens of animal cruelty or neglect complaints each year, but “very rarely are animals seized or voluntarily surrendered,’’ Litman added. “Our goal is to gain compliance.’’

Animals taken from a property are placed in shelters for better care, and over time may be adopted by an outside person for a fee to help cover costs like spaying and neutering.

Another perception out in the public is that authorities should receive permission or else be invited on to a property. But authorities are doing a criminal complaint investigation, and “we don’t always announce our presence,’’ he said.

Authorities responding to a complaint have to follow the law, and the state and federal constitutions; they typically do not enter homes or outbuildings such as barns or sheds, but do have the right to observe in plain view. If a homeowner is present and says they deny law enforcement access to the property, then the steps through the search warrant process are done. Only if a person’s life or well-being is in jeopardy or evidence may well be destroyed, do officers do otherwise, he explained.

“There’s been some serious allegations of illegal searches,” Litman noted, and in the cases that have been brought to his attention and that he’s reviewed, both Wade Hanson and staff of his office “acted appropriately.’’

In the case of a visit by authorities to the property of Mark and Loretta Bickford, it was claimed Hanson had the wrong address, and the wrong name was written on a card Hanson left, telling that he had been there. “He was at the correct address of the specific complaint that had been left,’’ Litman said.

When Hanson was done, he left the card between doors to the home on the porch, but did not enter the house, the sheriff said.

There can be some disagreement between residents and others what is considered proper food and water care for animals, and “people have great passion’’ for their creatures, he added. But, there have been cases where conditions were deplorable “and clearly a violation of the law.’’

Mark Bickford says no one was home Nov. 22 when Wade Hanson came to his property in Kelsey Township. An animal welfare compliance warning was left inside his back door, which is inside a porch, where there is an entryway to his basement as well.

The warning was not addressed to him, but to his neighbors, “Tim and Annette,’’ who are nearby neighbors. Law enforcement had supplied the address, regarding a complaint of 22 dogs running loose. The dogs don’t run loose,and belonged to the neighbors, he explained. Apparently some neighbors of the neighbors up from the Twin Cities for hunting season had complained of the dogs barking. “It was a false complaint,’’ Bickford said, “without foundation.’’

In the first November visit, the Bickfords were told they had illegal housing for dogs, horses and fowl, and two horses needed hoof trimming. Bickford contends that state statute said natural or manmade housing can be used. What they wanted was loafing sheds, for 24-hour, daily access to shelter. Hutches were to be built for rabbits, but the rabbits were for butchering and have been put in the freezer, he said. But Bickford says he has several draft horses, big animals that need to be in stalls, which he uses for farming. “My animals have always met at least minimum Minnesota state statute,’’ he said. He has put up an addition to his barn in the process, which he said they were planning to do beforehand. And, authorities did not tell them what they needed to have done regarding the barn.

They were told that ducks they have on hand to eat flies in summer needed water to swim in in winter, including a heated pool, Bickford asserted.

There were subsequent monthly visits to his property in December, January and February, and in the December visit, “they assumed we were Tim and Annette,’’ he added. At that point, “I said to them you were trespassing.’’

On a January visit, “they questioned Loretta why we had so many animals,’’ including peacocks, golden pheasants, draft horses, and other horses and dogs and other animals, he said.

He had two veterinarians come out to inspect his animals and property, one of whom said he found all animals healthy, well fed and content, and that the Bickfords take good care of their animals.

Bickford also had witnesses on hand at a called-for February meeting as well.

He has never been given a complaint, “nothing in writing saying I was doing anything wrong,’’ he said.

Bickford, asked if he felt he has been treated unfairly, answered, “Yes. Definitely.’’ He contends authorities are “really impressed with the power they have and enjoy using it.’’

He sent Litman a certified letter on all the incidents, and Litman has called him recently suggesting to meet with him, he said.

Litman said when animal complaints are investigated, authorities take proper precautions to stop the spread of any communicable diseases between properties, and they were properly responding to complaints.

While it may seem intimidating for authorities to come on to someone’s property, “the main thing is to bring people into compliance,’’ Litman said.

Could personnel have done a better job spreading the word about what they were trying to accomplish? “Probably so,’’ he conceded, but insisted authorities were “doing a really good job.’’

There is a system in place to lodge a complaint regarding whatever severity in animal well-being cases, and residents can call 911; or 218-749-6010 for north, or 218-727-8770 for south, he said.

Charles Ramsay can be reached at charles.ramsay@mx3.com. To read this story and comment on it online go to www.virginiamn.com.