Man charged with animal cruelty and neglect of livestock in Cavalier County

CAVALIER COUNTY — A Milton, North Dakota, man is accused of treating his livestock with neglect and cruelty.

Mark Harvey Nordin, 63, allegedly failed to maintain a fence on his property in May and his horses were found in a neighbor’s yard. According to an affidavit in the case, Nordin’s horses charged at his neighbor.

In November, the horses were found on County Road 39 in Cavalier County, the affidavit said. The property they resided in was “essentially abandoned,” and Nordin lived thirty miles away, the affidavit said.

The horses were found outside of Nordin’s property on three separate occasions during March 2022. On one of those occasions, law enforcement observed the property’s fence all torn down. There was inadequate food or shelter and the water trough was completely frozen, the affidavit said. On another of the occasions, there was no food or water source — other than snow, the affidavit said.

Other incidents of suspected neglect took place in 2021 and 2019, the affidavit said.

Nordin is charged with Class C felony animal cruelty. He’s also charged with Class A misdemeanor animal neglect and three counts of Class B misdemeanor livestock running at large.

Nordin was not arrested for the charges. Instead, he was given a notice to appear for an initial court hearing at 9 a.m. on July 13.