The Weld District Attorney’s Office in November charged Ernesto Daniel Valenzuela-Alvarez, 34, as well as Tomas Cerda 33, and Larry Loma, 32, with misdemeanor animal abuse after a video surfaced that apparently showed them kicking, dragging and throwing young calves while working at Quanah Cattle Co. near Kersey.
The Quanah Cattle Co. facility is located near Kersey, 55 miles northeast of Denver.
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke previously expressed “shock” when he saw the video and said the behavior was “totally unacceptable,” adding that in 20 years on a dairy farm earlier in his life he never saw animals handled that way.
Valenzuela-Alvarez of Eaton pleaded guilty on Friday — nearly a month after requesting additional time to consult with an attorney.
Cerda, who pleaded guilty in January, was scheduled for sentencing Feb. 21, but a clerical error forced that to be postponed.
Both Cerda and Valenzuela-Alvarez are due for sentencing on April 29.
Loma is scheduled to appear for a status update on his case April 3.
(Greeley Tribune - Mar 2, 2014)
Earlier:
Just a heads up, after incidents like this, Big Ag has banded together to try to get the kinds of whistle blowing that lead to these charges made illegal.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, the industry is trying to make it impossible to convict bastards like this of abuse in the future.