18-year-old brothers Kevin and Kyle Sloan were charged with breaking into an Ames, Iowa farm and beating to death 100 turkeys in October. Because turkeys are considered “livestock,” they are not covered by Iowa’s animal cruelty law. However, the men should be charged under Chapter 717 of the criminal code, which makes livestock abuse an aggravated misdemeanor. Yet the Story County prosecutor’s office has declined to file abuse charges against them (although he has charged them with 2nd-degree burglary and 4th-degree criminal mischief). While "livestock abuse" in Iowa is unfortunately only a misdemeanor, it is important that such charges be filed so that if convicted, the Sloan brothers can receive needed intervention at sentencing -- including psychological counseling and a prohibition on owning animals. The cruel and senseless killing of 100 animals should be recognized as much more than a property crime, but rather a serious crime of violence that warrants, at the very least, charges of abuse and meaningful intervention.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact the Story County District Attorney and respectfully urge him to file livestock abuse charges against Kevin and Kyle Sloan. Remind him that the court must recognize the true victims of this violent crime—the one hundred turkeys who were so violently beaten to death:
Stephen H. Holmes
Story County District Attorney
1315 South B Ave.
Nevada, Iowa 50201
ph: 515-382-7255
fax: 515-382-7270
via e-mail: countyattorney@storycounty.com

Update 12/3/02:  Kyle Alan Sloan and Kevin Andrew Sloan, beat to death one hundred turkeys at Woodland Farms in Story County, Iowa. The men have been charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and the Class D Felony offense of having knowingly injured and willfully destroyed the turkeys by an act of violence.

Because the Class D Felony charge appears to address the killing of the turkeys more from the standpoint of property damage than from the standpoint of animal cruelty and abuse, we are urging the Story County prosecutor to add to the other charges the charge of Livestock Abuse. A Livestock Abuser is specifically defined under Iowa law as a "person [who] injures or destroys livestock owned by another person, in any manner. . . .A person guilty of livestock abuse commits an aggravated misdemeanor.

Further investigation into the Sloan twins, shows the brothers charged with setting fires in three central Iowa counties.

Kyle Alan Sloan and Kevin Andrew Sloan, 18-year-old twins from Ames, The charges for burglary carries a maximum 10 years in prison, and the criminal mischief charge is punishable by up to two years.

They also are charged with 11 counts of second-degree arson, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and seven counts of third-degree arson, with a maximum sentence of up to two years each.

Detectives from Ames and Story County said the brothers admitted they set fires in Ames on Oct. 16 and 23, plus other fires in McCallsburg and rural Story, Boone and Hamilton counties.

A press release from the Story County Sheriff, Paul H. Fitzgerald,  on 10/28/2002 states: At about 1:00 a.m.on Saturday, October 26, 2002, firefighters responded to a report of an abandoned house fire northwest of Story City in Hamilton County. Story City Police identified the occupants of a suspicious vehicle in the area as twin brothers Kyle Alan Sloan and Kevin Andrew Sloan, age 18, from Ames. The Sloan brothers had been suspects in a number of recent arson fires at salvage yards and vehicle impound lots in Ames and McCallsburg. Investigators from the Ames Police Department and Story County Sheriff's Office interviewed the pair. Both Kevin and Kyle admitted their involvement in a number of fires in Ames, McCallsburg, and rural areas of Story, Boone, and Hamilton Counties, and in killing approx. 100 turkeys at a turkey farm near Story City.

Authorities are relieved to have apprehended these individuals before any injuries were sustained as a result of their actions and before their crimes could escalate to more violent offenses. The safety of firefighters responding to each of these fires was jeopardized, as was the safety of nearby residents. The fires at Thompson's Auto Parts in McCallsburg required a response by firefighters from as many as eight nearby communities. Had a fire been reported in one of those towns while their firefighters were in McCallsburg, it is likely that the response time would have been greater than normal. Finally, the McCallsburg fires unnecessarily taxed the city's water system, and required that school be cancelled on the day following the first fire.

The arrest of the Sloan's come as a result of a collaborative effort from a number of different agencies. Investigators from the Ames Police Department, Ames Fire Department, Story County Sheriff's Office, and Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office diligently worked together for over a week to apprehend those responsible for these fires. Assistance from Story City Police and Nevada Police and Fire Departments also was helpful in identifying the Sloan brothers as suspects and in apprehending them. Firefighters from McCallsburg and Story City also provided information that was beneficial in this matter. Without this joint participation, it is likely that these arrests would not have been possible at this time.

Kyle and Kevin Sloan are both being held in the Story County Jail in Nevada in lieu of $150,000 bond on multiple counts of Arson 2nd and 3rd, Burglary 2nd, and Criminal Mischief 3rd. The investigation is continuing and additional charges are expected.

Update 3/13/03:  On March 24, Kyle and Kevin Sloan, will be sentenced for their cruel acts. The two men pleaded guilty on February 17 to several charges, including livestock abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor. The livestock abuse conviction is considered a victory, because the brothers were not originally charged with any crime that acknowledged the suffering of the animals killed. The conviction also clears the way for appropriate intervention, including psychological counseling for the men.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Ask Judge Finn to sentence Kyle and Kevin Sloan to significant jail time as well as psychological counseling for their conviction of livestock abuse. Let him know that decisive intervention is the key to community safety. Remember to be polite—we want to win Judge Finn over, for the sake of the animals!
Judge Timothy J. Finn
c/o Story County Clerk of Court
PO Box 408
Nevada, IA 50201
email: timothy.finn@jb.state.ia.us

Update 5/8/03:  On April 28, Judge Michael Moon sentenced Kyle Sloan in Story County District Court to a twenty-year suspended prison term, five years probation and mandatory completion of a six-month military-style boot camp. He also must graduate from high school. One week earlier, brother Kevin Sloan was sentenced to five years probation for his role in the crime spree.

Reference:

HSUS

United Poultry Concerns

Voice of Compassion for Animal Life, Inc (VOCAL)