(Essex, Iowa) – A man and his pregnant wife who were looking at property they purchased east of Shenandoah, at 1703 209th Street, were attacked by two goats, Sept. 11th. The Page County Sheriff’s Department report Jeremy and Brittney Ostroske, of Red Oak, were attacked by goats owned by Nelson Murphy, who resides in Essex. Authorities say a group of goats were in their yard, and it’s not the first time that the goats and other animals owned by Nelson Murphy, have been in the Ostroske’s yard which has been reported. Jeremy shot and killed the two goats that were attacking his pregnant wife. He then moved the dead goats from his property, across the road, and to the property owned by Nelson Murphy.

The Sheriff’s Office says this is an ongoing issue with Murphy’s livestock at his property in Norwich. Murphy has been notified well over fifty (50) times in less than the last 2 years about his wandering livestock and their aggressiveness towards other residents of Norwich. Deputies have even returned the livestock to their confined area on Murphy’s property when he has not responded to calls or in person notifications of his livestock being out of their confined areas and on other persons property, or even public property as in gravel roads and even State Highway 2.

Numerous other livestock owned by Murphy have been shot and some killed by persons in Norwich for their aggressiveness towards them. Norwich is an unincorporated city within Page County and are governed by the State laws of Iowa. Murphy was notified of the dead animals on his property and the incident on this date.