A Riverside man was charged with more than 40 counts of animal neglect Wednesday, following an investigation into his dog breeding facility.

On August 24, 2023, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of animal welfare concerns at Sunset Valley Farm near Riverside. An inspection by the Iowa Department  of Agriculture and Land Stewardship of the facility, owned by 62-year-old Loren Yoder, found that a large number of dogs were being neglected.

All 131 dogs at the Sunset Valley Farm were surrendered by Yoder and taken to Iowa City Animal Services. He also lost his commercial breeding license. Physical exams on the dogs from assisting veterinarians discovered that several had developed medical conditions due to a lack of adequate care.

Yoder was arrested on Wednesday on five counts of animal neglect with injury, all serious misdemeanors, and 36 counts of animal neglect with no serious injury or death, each a simple misdemeanor.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the case by Iowa City Animal Services, Johnson County Emergency Management, and the Johnson County Attorney’s Office.