Report: Plea deal reached in Montana cattle starvation case

In this Tuesday, March 31, 2020, photo, the carcass of a dead cow lies in a pasture on Mission Road in Cascade, Mont. Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter and his staff learned of the starving black Angus herd after people who drove by the property reported seeing the dead cows, the Great Falls Tribune reported Tuesday. (Rion Sanders/The Great Falls Tribune via AP)

In this Tuesday, March 31, 2020, photo, several cows lay dead all presumed starved to death at a ranch west of Cascade, Mont. Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter and his staff learned of the starving black Angus herd after people who drove by the property reported seeing the dead cows, the Great Falls Tribune reported Tuesday. (Rion Sanders/The Great Falls Tribune via AP)

In this Tuesday, March 31, 2020, photo, the carcass of dead calf, which was born this year, lies in a pasture on Mission Road west of Cascade, Mont. The Cascade County sheriff’s office, public works and the state Department of Livestock responded to the scene Tuesday to remove carcasses and feed the surviving animals. The land is “grazed down to the dirt,” Capt. Scott Van Dyken said, noting the animals had no available food.(Rion Sanders/The Great Falls Tribune via AP)

In this Tuesday, March 31, 2020, photo, an emaciated cow in a pasture on Mission Road in Cascade, Mont., waits to be fed. A man is facing animal cruelty charges in central Montana after several hundred cows were found starving in the middle of calving season, including multiple cows that were found dead. (Rion Sanders/The Great Falls Tribune via AP)