Following two separate visits over the past week, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office representatives seized most of the animals from a Sequim resident’s property for alleged neglect.

Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King said deputies have been investigating the care of animals on 71-year-old John Dashti’s property at 21 Serenity Lane off River Road for several weeks.

On June 24, Animal Control Deputy Tracey Kellas, sheriff’s office deputies, a veterinarian and representatives from Chimacum’s Central Valley Animal Rescue seized two donkeys, two sheep and four goats from the property.

King said they were taken to a rescue because of the low level of sanitation inside their pen where two animal carcasses were found buried.

Other animals they inspected including a dog, chickens, quail, pigs and rabbits were found in adequate health at the time, King said.

Prior, Dashti was given multiple warnings regarding animal care in the past month.

“The investigation ramped up recently because of deteriorating conditions and it just wasn’t improving,” King said.

“Every time we spoke with him it was implied he’d comply but when we would go there he wasn’t compliant.”

Sara Penhallegon, director of the animal rescue, told deputies during the inspection that the donkeys’ nails may not have been trimmed before or not for a long time.

Local interest recently piqued regarding Dashti’s animals on Craigslist when a neighbor made multiple allegations against him, posting photos of animal carcasses around Dashti’s property. Some of the allegations state he let animals starve, freeze and kill/eat one another.

Pig found dead

On Monday, June 29, deputies reported to Dashti’s property to investigate a dead 100-pound pig.

King said they obtained another search warrant and seized the rest of the animals except for a few free-range chickens they were unable to capture.

“Our thinking was that there’s another animal found dead and we need to get to the bottom of this,” he said.

A necropsy performed on the pig revealed it was fed and watered and doesn’t initially appear to be dehydrated, King said.

Deputies expect a report on the pig and other animals’ health in about a week.

“The pig adds another element and we’re going to have to wait and see what’s the deal with this animal,” King said. “Maybe there’s an explanation we’re not aware.”

“Hopefully, it gives us a much better understanding and a definite reason why the pig died,” Kellas said.

Kellas said Dashti requested a necropsy to prove he hadn’t done anything wrong.

However, he told deputies he didn’t know about the pig’s death but later said he did know, she said.

Because Dashti didn’t report the pig, Kellas said “that indicated to us he’s not grasping the amount of care  you need to pay attention to when someone’s else’s life is in your hands.”

Dashti said he isn’t hiding anything and that some of the animals were killed when tree branches fell on them during last winter’s storm that flooded his property. He also said something in grass clippings from a neighbor’s yard killed another animal.

Prior to law enforcement’s arrival to first seize his animals, Dashti said he put the carcasses in a bag.

Dashti said he kept some carcasses because a Seattle company buys them for $60-$80 each.

King said Dashti told law enforcement he’s kept the carcasses as collections and for research, too.

The three carcasses (goat and sheep) had been there a long time, Kellas said, and they don’t know why.

“There won’t be any criminal charges for the carcasses,” she said. “There’s nothing we can prove one way or another but when the pig died we wanted to see if there is something going on with these animals.”

Animal care

Starting May 31, Dashti served 12 days in jail for driving on a suspended license.

On June 1, Kellas said Dashti’s partner Barb Herrera, who used to live on the property, told deputies she wanted to give the animals away but Kellas told her she needed to care for the animals.

In that discussion, Herrera told deputies about the donkeys’ feet, which led Kellas to investigate further where she found the animals were fed and watered.

However, neighbors said they’ve been calling law enforcement about Dashti’s actions for years.

“This place has changed so much,” Maria Belair said of the property.

Dashti is a former contractor who operated under the name Dashti Construction and said he’s been planning to turn his home into a park and begin a mobile catering company.

He said many of the animals on his property he raises for food and lives off of disability checks, which he spends most of his money on the animals.

King said Dashti voluntarily gave up several guns, which Dashti claims he only owns for self-defense from local animals such as cougars.

Dashti said he’s going to seek to get his animals back.

“Without reasonable doubt of course I will,” Dashti said. “I feel good about it so that they know (the truth). It gets everything out in front.”

King said they are awaiting more in-depth health analysis on all the animals before sending charges against Dashti to the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office.