Prosecutors have filed a litany of charges against a western Wisconsin horse ranch owner accused of failing to feed a number of his horses — four of which were found dead.

Michael A. Feist, 58, of Milltown, Wis., was charged Friday in Polk County Circuit Court with four felony counts of mistreatment of animals, 15 counts of misdemeanor mistreatment of animals and 15 counts of misdemeanor failure to provide proper food and drink to confined animals.

The charges stem from the reported findings of investigators at Otter Creek Ranch in Milltown this fall.

A message left with the ranch was not returned, and Feist’s attorney did not wish to comment on the charges.

According to the criminal complaint:

A licensed veterinarian contacted the Polk County sheriff’s office in September saying she was concerned about horses she observed in a pasture at the ranch and images on the ranch’s Facebook page that appeared to show malnourished horses.

Another veterinarian accompanied Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Hahn to the Otter Creek Ranch the next day to inspect the property. Hahn reported finding a manure-filled barn area and poor conditions for feeding, and the veterinarian noted 15 to 18 horses were in “nutritional distress.” The veterinarian recommended Feist be given 45 days to initiate changes.

Feist told the two he had a plan to feed the horses and acknowledged that he needed to clean the barn.

In early November, Hahn checked the property over three days while on patrol and observed no feeding efforts. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies inspected the property on Nov. 8 and found a variety of different animals in two barns that were wet and dirty.

Sheep in one barn area were found with their legs buried in excrement and their coats matted with mud and excrement. In the other barn were horses that Hahn noted appeared to be very malnourished, and manure in some of the stalls was more than a foot deep.

Four horses were found dead on the property. Two of them appeared to have been dead for several days and there were indications they had been walked on by other horses.

Hahn told Feist he believed conditions on the ranch had greatly deteriorated. A veterinarian, a county health official and a state certified humane officer scored the body conditions of a sample of 15 horses and found 14 had scores indicating they were malnourished and potentially in distress.

Feist made an initial appearance in court on Monday and a $10,000 signature bond was set, according to court records. As conditions of the bond, Feist must maintain proper food and water for the animals and allow law enforcement access to make sure the conditions are met.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 17.

Andy Rathbun can be reached at 651-228-2121.

Follow him at twitter.com/andyrathbun.