Posted on 03/30/2006 6:22:35 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
WATERTOWN, SD (AP) -- A prosecutor faces a deadline to try a man accused of releasing hundreds of mink from a farm near Kranzburg nine years ago.
The defendant, Peter Daniel Young, 28, is serving a two-year sentence in a federal prison in California after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Madison, Wis., to animal enterprise terrorism for releasing mink at farms in Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Codington County State's Attorney Vince Foley said in December that the federal penalty did not fit the crime committed at the Turbak Mink Ranch near Kranzburg when hundreds of the animals were released from pens. Many died before they could be recaptured - a loss that played a part in the eventual closure of the business, the former owners said.
Federal investigators said they believe Young is connected with the Animal Liberation Front, a radical group that has attempted to destroy animal-related industries it considers inhumane.
Prosecutor Foley filed state charges against Young of third-degree burglary, intentional damage to property and animal enterprise trespass. The first two charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The third charge has a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
On Tuesday, Foley said Young has demanded a speedy trial or dismissal of the charges.
By filing the request for a speedy trial, Foley said Young eliminated any extradition issues and started the clock on a 180-day window for prosecution.
"That means we have to try his case within that time period," Foley said Tuesday. "We are making arrangements to have him transported here to face trial."
Foley said Young could be brought to Watertown within a month.
Young, of Mercer Island, Wash., was arrested in San Jose, Calif., a year ago when he was caught shoplifting. He had been on the run since being indicted by a federal grand jury in Wisconsin in 1998 on four extortion charges and two animal enterprise terrorism counts.
Authorities later dismissed the four extortion counts after deciding a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2003 invalidated the legal theory behind them. He then pleaded guilty to animal enterprise terrorism in a deal with prosecutors.
I like it.
L
So if someone can be jailed just for being 'cruel' to animals and possibly causing their s then this creep should be sentenced for EACH animal that died due to being set 'free'.
Then we'll see how he likes being the lowest one in the prison herd hierarchy. I seriously doubt he's a head-mare type!
Maybe 6.
But his federal and state convictions will hopefully enable the former business owner to sue his terrorist ass in civil court and allow him to take a chunk of Young's income for the rest of his natural-born life.
Looks like everyone's going to get a piece of him. He's pretty cute, so I'm sure he'll make lots of friends in prison.
What a punk. Ruin someone's livelihood due to your whacked political beliefs. Now, if we could just throw all the Madistan Smoke Gnatzies in jail for their hand in ruining local bar/tavern & restaurnat businesses, all would be right in My Little World. ;)
We've had ALF-like groups release mink, veal calves and research monkeys in the Madison area, too. I'm glad to see the Feds cracking down on this type of crime.
through=throw. damn spellcheck
That'll add a couple more decades of his ass being pinned to some crackhead from Milwaukee.
Then a nice speedy trial in Civil courts for damages both compensatory and punitive to round out the deal. (I know, there's no such thing as a speedy civil trial..)
L
The conspiracy charge is usually the one that gets the most time.
Just a thought.
L
The crime aside, what this guy did was one of the most incredibly stupid things I've ever seen. The minks destroyed chickens, attacked other small domestic animals and otherwise wreaked havoc where ever they went. Minks are vicious by nature, not unlike a badger. Even liberals declared what this guy did as stupid. The guy knew absolutely nothing about minks to begin with. The guy makes a sorry excuse for an animal rights advocate. He can't even do that right.
The thing is that these coddled "activists" couldn't even do SIX years of hard time, hehehe.
He won't last 6 minutes in jail before he has a new 'girlfriend' named Skillet.......
My wife's grandad owned a mink farm in Idaho. Some liberals bought it from him then released the minks. They were run down in the roads, starved, and basically died shortly after their release. Stupid liberals.
We all know that death in the wild is far far better than being made into coats. Liberals everywhere are rejoicing that some poor mink was saved from being a coat and died by getting squished on the highway by a gas-guzzler. I agree with you. Stupid liberals.
"The minks destroyed chickens, attacked other small domestic animals and otherwise wreaked havoc where ever they went. Minks are vicious by nature, not unlike a badger."
The only problems I've ever had with wild animals pestering my laying hens were from wild mink. They're viscious killers, but will just bite a hen in the neck, drain the blood, and not even drag the rest of it off to eat! What a waste. I mean, I totally live in the middle of the "Circle of Life" so if you're going to steal from me, you'd better really NEED to eat what you steal, d@mmit!
And mink stink to high heaven, too. I can't think of one critter that deserves being made into a coat more than a mink, LOL! (Chinchilla are cute as heck, IMHO.)
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