SEQUIM — Law enforcement officials have seized nearly all the animals from a rural property southwest of Sequim after an apparently healthy pig died over the weekend.
Their owner, John Dashti, said he believes the pig was poisoned by those who want to see him off his property on Serenity Lane.
Two pigs, a dog, 12 rabbits, various chickens and about 60 quail were seized Monday from his property.
Dashti has not been arrested, and no citations have been issued.
Law enforcement officials had seized four goats, two donkeys and two sheep last Wednesday, June 24, because of parasitic load, malnourishment, lack of basic care and unsanitary conditions, said Brian King, chief criminal deputy for the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
The animals taken Monday were not seized then because a veterinarian on-site issued them a clean bill of health and deputies ensured they had adequate access to food and water.
That changed when one of Dashti’s three pigs died.
The dead pig established a basis for seizing the remaining animals, even though there was no outward sign of neglect, King said.
“The premise of seizing the remaining animals is the evidence of neglect of the already seized animals, and [that] now what appeared to be a healthy pig — when evaluated by a vet last week — is now dead,” he said.
This pattern of death “prompted another search warrant for seizure of [the] remaining animals,” King said.
The seized animals are being cared for at the nonprofit Center Valley Animal Rescue near Quilcene.
The pig carcass was removed by law enforcement for a necropsy.
Several chickens and roosters remain at the property because they eluded capture, King said.
Before the seizures, deputies visited the property daily to encourage Dashti to take better care of his animals, he said.
Dashti, 61 — a native of Iran who has been a permanent legal resident of the U.S. since 1979 — maintains his innocence and believes the dead pig was poisoned by an unknown party.
“They gave them something,” he said, declining to further identify whom he was speaking of.
He noted the pig had previously been cleared by the veterinarian.
On Thursday morning, a day after the initial seizure, Dashti said he noticed his pigs behaving strangely while checking to see if they had water.
He said people have been trespassing on his property late at night.
Dashti said he believes the deaths are part of an ongoing conspiracy to eject him from his property.
He is currently facing foreclosure and has until July 10 to respond to a lawsuit filed by his bank seeking to evict him.
He noted he has videos showing the animals in good health before he was incarcerated in early June for driving without a valid license.
He remained jailed for about two weeks.
“When I came back . . . the atmosphere was completely changed,” he said.
“I knew something was wrong. What happened in between?”
He said his dog, a black Bernese mountain dog, had been abused while he was gone and his house ransacked, with firearms stolen.
Deputies have confiscated five handguns, two shotguns and a semi-automatic rifle, according to paperwork in Dashti’s possession, while he undergoes a background check to ensure he is legally allowed to possess the weapons.
Investigators are awaiting the results early next week from the pig necropsy.
Veterinarian reports on the living animals are expected to be ready sometime this week.
Once all reports are received, the Sheriff’s Office will submit the case to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for a charging decision.
The Sheriff’s Office has been investigating allegations of animal abuse at the property for the past few weeks after being contacted by neighbors who reported several animal carcasses left to rot on the property.
Dashti blames the deaths of some of the animals on falling trees and grass tainted by fuel and fertilizer. Others he killed to eat, he said.
Neighbors have posted photos of dead carcasses and animals purportedly living in squalid conditions on the property on www.Craigslist.com.
King said the animals had food and water.
Dashti said he has spent $3,180 on feed for his animals since January.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.