The Washington County Attorney has filed an injunction against a Fort Calhoun couple for what it deemed a “public health hazard.” The two are accused of illegally running a commercial business on their property which includes the butchering and selling of animal meat.
Neighbors that 6 News spoke with said the business has been operating for at least five years, that they’ve seen hundreds of cars going up and down a one lane road and can hear animals at all hours of the day. “You can hear the animals screaming, you can hear ducks 24/7. It doesn't matter what time of the day,” said one neighbor.
“It breaks my heart,” added another.
The neighbors didn’t want to be identified, but tell 6 News that they are upset with some of the things they’ve seen and heard near their homes on Herbert Henry Lane. “I hear a donkey just screaming sometimes. I've seen trailers come out with corpses that are not freshly killed, you can see them turned up like they’ve been dead for a while,” said a neighbor.
The injunction against the couple includes a list of multiple zoning violations since December 2017 calling it a public health hazard, including running a meat business on a residential property, the business causing traffic for neighbors living nearby and the slaughtering of animals outdoors. “It's detrimental to our neighborhoods well-being,” said a neighbor.
“If you want to have a butcher place in town somewhere that’s sanitary, that people can go to that's not in a private residential area, great have your business do it right,” added another.
6 News went to the property to get a comment from the owner and are still waiting to hear back.
(Photo courtesy of 6 News)