Ridglan Farms beagles: Animal rights advocates appear in court
Ridglan Farms beagles: Animal rights advocates appear in court
47 animal rights advocates made their first appearance before a Dane County judge on Monday, Oct. 19. They are charged with taking part in a coordinated break-in at Ridglan Farms back in March.
DANE COUNTY, Wis. - 47 animal rights advocates made their first appearance before a Dane County judge on Monday, Oct. 19. They are charged with taking part in a coordinated break-in at Ridglan Farms back in March.
Dogs released
The backstory:
Ridglan Farms permanently closed in August after rescue groups paid for the release of the last 2,100 dogs from the facility where they were bred for lab experiments. Today, animal rights attorneys released pictures and videos of injuries on some of those beagles. They say it is proof that the defendants who broke into Ridglan back in March were acting as rescuers, not thieves.
Beagle Freedom Project says preliminary examinations of 498 beagles released by Ridglan showed nearly 85% had "abnormal veterinary findings."
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Ridglan Farms beagles: Last dogs released from Wisconsin facility
The last Ridglan Farms beagles left the Wisconsin facility on Wednesday, marking an end to a years-long animal rights campaign and legal battle.
"Open rescue"
What To Know:
Amy Van Aartsen, co-founder of the Marty Project, says that’s why they went in to get the dogs.
"We have tried every traditional route possible and this was a last resort," Van Aartsen said. "We didn't just go hit a random building, right? We went to go help dogs."
The so-called "open rescue" on March 15 got international attention, in part because former Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul was among the participants who carried beagles out of the facility. She and Van Aartsen are among 51 people facing criminal charges.
Ridglan Farms beagles: 47 activists charged in March 'open rescue'
Wisconsin prosecutors filed a list of new criminal charges against 47 people, accusing them of participating in an "open rescue" of Ridglan Farms beagles.
In court
What To Know:
Of the 47 who made their first appearance in court Monday, 12 are from Wisconsin. These include Lisa Castagnozzi of Shorewood, seen receiving a dog through a window; Kate Prange of Kohler, who carried a beagle out; and Alison Thompson of Milwaukee. Prosecutors say she was inside a van stopped attempting to leave with beagles inside.
Van Aartsen did not go into Ridglan, but she is accused of using a drone to gather intelligence and arranging for FOX6 investigators to meet one of the beagles taken in March.
"Dane County wants to put me behind bars for helping dogs on public property? This feels absurd to me," Van Aartsen said.
Just before Monday's hearing, Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan called on the Dane County District Attorney to drop all charges.
Congressman Mark Pocan
"Justice needs to be done, not just for the beagles, but for the folks who helped to free the beagles," Pocan said.
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For now, the defendants are one step closer to trial. They are due in court October 28th for preliminary hearings.
Meanwhile, four other defendants are charged with additional crimes, including the operation's chief architect, Wayne Hsiung. His trial is slated to begin in January.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6's Bryan Polcyn and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from animal rights advocates and attorneys, court documents, an interview with Amy Van Aartsen, a speech by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, and previous FOX6 Investigators reporting.