Four animal rights activists pleaded not guilty to felony charges stemming from the March break-in at Ridglan Farms, a Blue Mounds beagle breeding facility, in Dane County Circuit Court on May 21.
They were among the activists who entered Ridglan – one of the two largest suppliers of research beagles in the country – on March 15 and removed 23 beagles. Twenty-seven people were arrested that day.
Wayne Hsiung, Aditya Aswani, Dean Wyrzykowski and Michelle Lunsky each face four felony counts – burglary, criminal damage to property, theft and attempted theft – carrying a maximum of 31 years in prison.
Hsiung, a California-based animal rights attorney who has built a national following around what activists call “open rescue” operations – entering facilities and removing animals they believe are being mistreated – will represent himself going forward.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” he told the judge.
Last fall, a special prosecutor determined Ridglan had performed a painful eye procedure on hundreds of dogs without anesthesia.
Rather than face felony animal cruelty charges, Ridglan agreed to surrender its state breeding license by July 1.
The license covers the sale of dogs. Ridglan can still conduct its own internal research, which the company says focuses mainly on developing veterinary treatments.
The arraignment came about a month after a second, larger operation at the facility on April 18, when more than 1,000 activists descended on the property in an organized effort to enter and remove dogs. Law enforcement deployed tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets. Twenty-five people were arrested. No dogs were removed.
Less than two weeks later, Ridglan agreed to sell approximately 1,500 dogs to Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy. The beagles began leaving the facility May 1.
More than 500 dogs remain inside. Animal rights attorneys filed a motion Monday to stop Ridglan from euthanizing any remaining dogs.
Court records show Ridglan has acknowledged it sometimes euthanizes dogs it considers unsellable, and the settlement agreement doesn’t prohibit it.
Ridglan has not said what will happen to the remaining dogs.
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Activists plead not guilty in Ridglan Farms beagle raid
Reporting by Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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