The owner of a property off American Legion Highway being investigated for animal cruelty and a host of building code and wetlands violations has received $20,500 in tax breaks under a state program meant to benefit farmers.
Police officers who studied the property reported they found malnourished dogs, horses and other animals, piles of tires and debris and scattered vehicles, as well as shacks built without permits.
But “there were no crops at all that I could see,” said Detective Jeff Majewski, who wrote a police report on the property.
Under the state’s Chapter 61A program for farmland, land owners receive tax breaks for agricultural use. In fiscal 2010 alone, Richard Medeiros, the owner of the property, listed as both 463 and 465 American Legion Highway, paid $4,200 less in property tax thanks to the program, according to town records. He’s received the break each year since 1992, four years after buying the [...]

Original post by Grant Welker