To the Editor:

When people show you who they really are, believe them…

A heinous crime occurred in Montezuma and was discovered on Wednesday morning, Jan. 6. Several people had entered the property at the Montezuma Sales Company and, according to a press release issued by Chief Deputy Lawrence McNaul of the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, "…it was found that 17 head of cattle had been injured due to several unknown subjects entering the property over night and attacking the cattle with sharp objects causing severe cut marks to the cattle. Due to the life threatening injuries that were sustained 3 cows were euthanized and the remaining 14 head were treated by a veterinarian."

This isn’t the local kids, TP-ing the coach’s house or scaring school girls with a frog…animals were severely hurt and some were so injured that they needed to be put down. If you’re reading this, thinking that the writer is an animal-lover, that’s true…and you’re totally missing the point. The point is the behavior.

The only way it could have been worse would have been if these people had entered a home and mutilated a family (your family?)…which, according to mental-health statistics, is what could be forthcoming from these subjects. From what I’ve read, torturing animals is one of the first signs to appear in psychopathic behavior. Do these people live in this area? In Montezuma? Do we really have people like that around here?

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be out in the freezing weather under the cover of darkness, standing with helpless animals, and stabbing and cutting them as they stand in their pens? How much pain there was, how much blood there was, and that these subjects took the time to injure 17 large animals? That’s a lot of time…and pain…and effort. Think about it.

When people show you who they really are, believe them. Do not look the other way, or rationalize how something like this could have happened. No amount of "I was drunk" or "I’m sorry" or "They’re just cows" or any other excuses will absolve this horrific crime. These subjects could actually be psychopathic…what else answers the question of why?

Chief Deputy McNaul asked in his press release that anyone having any information regarding this crime should contact the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Officeat641-623-5679…and there are obviously some people who have that information.

In my opinion, and that of several others with whom I’ve spoken, whoever the people are who did this obviously have some very serious mental issues and need to be found and removed from society. Like I said, if people show you who they really are, believe them. They have shown us who they really are, and if they’re laughing and slapping each other on the back proudly, look out. Who are these people who hurt so many animals so cruelly? If this behavior escalates, what’s next on their agenda?

Karen Lidtka

Montezuma