Posted By: Mira Trapper
Conklin not guilty. - 07/07/10 05:17 PM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Farm owner won't face animal abuse charges
BY HOLLY ZACHARIAH
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 09:13 AM
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/06/cow-abuse-charges.html?sid=101
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- A Union County grand jury has decided the owner of
a Union County dairy farm caught in an abuse scandal should not face
criminal charges.
A grand jury met last week and heard testimony from an Ohio Department
of Agriculture veterinarian, the Union County Humane Society and
others before deciding that dairy farmer Gary Conklin did nothing
criminal, according to Union County Prosecutor David Phillips.
Jurors saw hours of video tape recorded by an undercover employee of
the animal-rights group, Mercy For Animals, not just the few minutes
that group posted on YouTube, Phillips said.
On the tape, Conklin employee Billy Joe Gregg is seen viciously
beating and abusing cows and calves at the Plain City farm. Gregg has
since been fired. He has been charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of
animal cruelty and faces a felony weapons charge. He has pleaded not
guilty to all the charges.
Also on the tape, Conklin is shown kicking a cow that is lying down.
Phillips said the portion of the tape shown publicly was spliced
together and that Conklin's behavior was taken out of context. The
Union County sheriff's office said it had four veterinarians with
experience in large-animal care review the tape.
"In context, Mr. Conklin's actions were entirely appropriate,"
Phillips wrote in a news release this morning. "The veterinarians told
law enforcement that cows who remain down are at risk of injury or
death. A cow's muscles may atrophy. Once that happens, the cow may
never get up and may suffer or die."
In an e-mailed statement, Gary Conklin called the announcement bittersweet.
"It is gratifying that the grand jury found no reason to bring any
charges against our farm, family members or current employees," he
wrote. "However, we remain extraordinarily saddened by the willful
abuse of animals on our farm by one of our former employees."
He said this has been "a horrible time for the Conklin family" and
that Gregg's abuse did not reflect the farm's commitment to animal
care. He said he hopes to put the matter behind him, and continue to
run the fourth-generation cattle-sales business along Rt. 42.
Jurors also reviewed the actions of another Conklin employee as well
as the Mercy for Animals investigator, who admitted to poking animals
with pitchforks to maintain his cover, and they found nothing that
merited criminal charges, Phillips said.
The criminal investigation isn't over, however. Phillips said threats
of violence and murder made by animal-rights activists against the
Conklins are still under review and information may be forwarded to
the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible charges under the federal
Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.
Mercy For Animals reacted to the announcement today and said that
Union County has failed the animals and Ohio residents who care about
them by giving Conklin Farms "a free pass."
"If such abuse is considered legal in Ohio, compassionate citizens
should have serious concerns regarding the array of acceptable abuses
animals ensure in the dairy industry."
The organization presented the sheriff's office with tape proving that
Conklin knew of the abuse and created a culture that allowed it, said
Daniel Hauff, director of investigations for Mercy For Animals
Farm owner won't face animal abuse charges
BY HOLLY ZACHARIAH
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 09:13 AM
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/06/cow-abuse-charges.html?sid=101
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- A Union County grand jury has decided the owner of
a Union County dairy farm caught in an abuse scandal should not face
criminal charges.
A grand jury met last week and heard testimony from an Ohio Department
of Agriculture veterinarian, the Union County Humane Society and
others before deciding that dairy farmer Gary Conklin did nothing
criminal, according to Union County Prosecutor David Phillips.
Jurors saw hours of video tape recorded by an undercover employee of
the animal-rights group, Mercy For Animals, not just the few minutes
that group posted on YouTube, Phillips said.
On the tape, Conklin employee Billy Joe Gregg is seen viciously
beating and abusing cows and calves at the Plain City farm. Gregg has
since been fired. He has been charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of
animal cruelty and faces a felony weapons charge. He has pleaded not
guilty to all the charges.
Also on the tape, Conklin is shown kicking a cow that is lying down.
Phillips said the portion of the tape shown publicly was spliced
together and that Conklin's behavior was taken out of context. The
Union County sheriff's office said it had four veterinarians with
experience in large-animal care review the tape.
"In context, Mr. Conklin's actions were entirely appropriate,"
Phillips wrote in a news release this morning. "The veterinarians told
law enforcement that cows who remain down are at risk of injury or
death. A cow's muscles may atrophy. Once that happens, the cow may
never get up and may suffer or die."
In an e-mailed statement, Gary Conklin called the announcement bittersweet.
"It is gratifying that the grand jury found no reason to bring any
charges against our farm, family members or current employees," he
wrote. "However, we remain extraordinarily saddened by the willful
abuse of animals on our farm by one of our former employees."
He said this has been "a horrible time for the Conklin family" and
that Gregg's abuse did not reflect the farm's commitment to animal
care. He said he hopes to put the matter behind him, and continue to
run the fourth-generation cattle-sales business along Rt. 42.
Jurors also reviewed the actions of another Conklin employee as well
as the Mercy for Animals investigator, who admitted to poking animals
with pitchforks to maintain his cover, and they found nothing that
merited criminal charges, Phillips said.
The criminal investigation isn't over, however. Phillips said threats
of violence and murder made by animal-rights activists against the
Conklins are still under review and information may be forwarded to
the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible charges under the federal
Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.
Mercy For Animals reacted to the announcement today and said that
Union County has failed the animals and Ohio residents who care about
them by giving Conklin Farms "a free pass."
"If such abuse is considered legal in Ohio, compassionate citizens
should have serious concerns regarding the array of acceptable abuses
animals ensure in the dairy industry."
The organization presented the sheriff's office with tape proving that
Conklin knew of the abuse and created a culture that allowed it, said
Daniel Hauff, director of investigations for Mercy For Animals