The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in a child endangerment and animal neglect case that began last fall in rural Plymouth County.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies conducted a traffic stop on January 16th, 2026, near the intersection of C16 and Juniper Avenue. The driver was identified as Rick Reifenrath, age 53, of Le Mars.
Authorities say Reifenrath had active arrest warrants out of Plymouth County for three counts of child endangerment without injury, one count of child endangerment with injury, one count of animal neglect with injury, and 19 counts of animal neglect without injury. He was taken into custody and transported to the Plymouth County Jail. Bond was set at $10,000 cash or surety.
The charges stem from an investigation that began on September 18th, 2025, when deputies executed a search warrant at a rural Plymouth County property following reports of unsafe living conditions involving three children and numerous dogs. During that search, the three children were removed from the residence and placed in the care of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
A follow-up search warrant was executed on September 23rd, 2025, resulting in the removal of 111 dogs from the property due to animal neglect. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Le Mars Fire Rescue, which detected extremely high ammonia levels inside the residence and ventilated the structure so the dogs could be safely removed.
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa and the Siouxland Humane Society assisted with transporting and caring for the dogs.
The case is now pending in Plymouth County court.
