First time ever. Indictments for factory farmed bird abuse handed down.

[flvegan]

LEWISBURG -- Three former employees of Aviagen Turkeys, Inc. have been indicted on animal abuse charges.

Edward Eric Gwinn, Walter Lee "Pee Wee" Hambrick, and Scott Alvin White are accused of torturing and abusing turkeys at Aviagen's Greenbrier processing plant. The alleged acts were caught on undercover video by the PETA.

Eleven of the indictments are felony charges and the first time in U.S. history that factory farm employees have faced felony cruelty-to-animals charges for abusing birds.

Each felony charge is punishable by one to five years in jail and a fine of $1,000 to $5,000. The eight misdemeanor indictments issued are punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of $300 to $2,000, or both.

The indictments claim the men engaged in acts such as stomping on turkeys' heads, twisting turkeys' necks and banging a turkey's head against metal scaffolding. Gwinn was investigated for his mimicked rape of a turkey hen whom he had pinned against the floor.

Additional charges against the men are anticipated to be filed soon in neighboring Monroe County for similar acts committed in that jurisdiction.

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=51468

From PETA:

In a huge victory for animals, a grand jury has issued 19 indictments for cruelty to animals against three former employees of Aviagen Turkeys, Inc. And it gets better—11 of the indictments are on felony charges. This marks the first time in U.S. history that factory-farm employees have faced felony cruelty-to-animals charges for abusing birds.

These indictments are the result of PETA's undercover investigation at Aviagen's factory farms in West Virginia, which uncovered workers stomping, kicking, throwing, and killing turkeys in unimaginably cruel ways. Our investigator's video footage was seen by the West Virginia State Police, whose investigator then conducted his own prompt and thorough investigation, leading to these indictments in Greenbrier County. Next stop: Monroe County, where we anticipate additional charges to be filed for similar acts committed there.

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/02/aviagen_update.php

[schmuls]

1. YES!