DAVIE, Fla. — Robert Hoover gave Local 10 News a tour of his empty Davie farm Friday as he seeks to get his animals back.
It comes a little more than a week after Hoover, the 51-year-old owner of Family Farms at 14950 SW 14th St., was arrested on animal cruelty charges.
“I have criminal charges against me, they put me in jail, they are threatening to take away my farm, they are threatening to take away my children, they are threatening to remove buildings off my property and penalize me and fine me,” Hoover said.
The arrest came after community members voiced concerns about animals at the popular local attraction appearing to be neglected.
An arrest report states that officers searching the facility found, among other things, emaciated cows which appeared to be fed only if visitors bought food for them, a pig so severely sunburned that parts of its skin were “raw and bloody” and a “thin” horse with an eye injury.
But Hoover disputes the charges.
“There are three old cows that are over 20 years old,” Hoover said. “Look at (your) grandma or grandpa and look how the muscle mass changes.”
Hoover said one of the cows in question was a rescue cow that he was working to fatten up.
Describing Family Farms, he said, “As you can see, it’s full of shade, full of trees, these pigs have great shelters from the rain.”
He said the people who complained are miseducated.
“I have food receipts, we have the medications, we have management practices that take place, we have other people that care for the animals, that’s the truth,” Hoover said. “Where is the disconnect? It’s with the allegations that have taken place against me.”
Hoover said he hopes public opinion will turn his way and help him save his farm.
“We miss our animals and we want them to come home,” he said.
Local 10 News reached out to a veterinarian who performed tests on the animals, which are under the care of various farmers in Broward County.
Hoover said he hasn’t heard a word about the results.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Davie Police Department said the agency can’t comment on the investigation, as it remains “active.”
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