Posted on 05/27/2010 9:19:17 AM PDT by ResistorSister
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- A man accused of abusing cows at a local dairy farm said in court Thursday that he is studying to become a police officer in Ohio.
Billy Joe Gregg, 25, appeared in court, charged with 12 counts of cruelty to animals.
The charges against Gregg were filed after an animal welfare group released graphic video Tuesday that was secretly recorded and shows workers at Conklin Dairy Farms in Plain City beating cows with crowbars, stabbing them with pitchforks and punching them in their heads.
The video shows workers holding down newborn calves and stomping on their heads. It shows one worker wiring a cow's nose to a metal bar near the ground and repeatedly beating it with another bar while it bleeds.
Click here to watch the full video clip. (WARNING: The video is graphic and disturbing.)
Bond was set for Gregg at $100,000. He asked for a court-appointed attorney and claimed in court that he is a disabled Army veteran and former police officer.
He said he has spent the last six years in the Army and is studying to become a police officer in Ohio.
Prosecutors said charges are possible against other people.
Each of the 12 charges holds a maximum fine of $750 and is punishable by 90 days in jail. According to the prosecutor, if convicted, Gregg could face 90 days in jail per charge.
Gregg is next scheduled to appear in court on June 10 at 8 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.
The video was recorded in an undercover investigation at the farm, said Mercy For Animals, a not-for-profit group that publicizes what it calls cruel practices in the dairy, meat and egg industries and promotes a vegan diet.
Conklin Dairy Farms, a fourth-generation family operation based in Plain City, said it takes the care of its cows and calves very seriously and had reviewed the video.
"The video shows animal care that is clearly inconsistent with the high standards we set for our farm and its workers, and we find the specific mistreatment shown on the video to be reprehensible and unacceptable," Gary Conklin, of Conklin Dairy Cattle Sales LLC, said Tuesday night in an e-mailed statement. "We will not condone animal abuse on our farm."
An Ohio Department of Agriculture spokesperson told NBC 4 that 100 percent of Conklin Dairy Farms' milk is sold to Minerva Dairy in Minerva, Ohio. The ODA said Minerva does not sell the milk to stores, but uses it to make cheese. The ODA spokesperson said Minerva is not required to report stores selling its products to the state.
Minerva Farms plant manager Dave Saling tells NBC 4 his company has discontinued all business with Conklin Dairy Farms. He declined to name which retailers sell its products in the Central Ohio market.
Mercy For Animals' executive director, Nathan Runkle, said the cow video was shot between April 28 and Sunday by an undercover worker at the dairy, about 25 miles northwest of Columbus. He said the documented abuse violates Ohio's anti-animal cruelty statute.
The article states that Billy Joe spent the last six years in the Army and he claims to be a disabled Army veteran and former police officer - GREAT!
His shameful actions, viciously beating, stomping, and stabbing defenseless cows and newborn calves, should be condemned by fellow vets and police officers.
Gotta get that practice in before taking the qualification exams...
No one starts at the top.
What kind of judgment did he use as a police officer and while he was in the service? He sounds psyco. Lock him up.
that video is flat horrible. I hope this savage gets what is coming to him.
Should fit right into most police forces.
Gotta have that ‘command presence’ ya know.
“Billy Joe Gregg, 25, appeared in court, charged with 12 counts of cruelty to animals.”
Just a good democrat and Obama supporter.
The evidence just became tainted.
Very disturbing behavior.
Animals are to be treated humanely. Their meat keeps us alive.
Tainted in what way? The guy is on tape beating cows over their heads with a crowbar.
Who could do that to an animal. He is very dangerous person who should never be allowed anywhere near being a police officer or security guard because he has serious control/power issues. Someone should chain his fat @$$ to a pole and beat him.
This guy is just a stupid punk. I do pray he NEVER has children.
See?
The guy was arrested without starting a protest in front of the AG department’s offices.
Let the local authorities do their jobs and the right thing will be done.
We are all individuals and not lumped into a group, therefore I DO NOT have to condemn this idiot just because he may have worn a military uniform at one time. On top of everything else I'll wait to see if he really was in the military or a cop.
He is an individual and thus gets condemned on his own actions.
Stop this subtle "group" crap or we'll start asking all you civilians to apologize for being weak-kneed cowards who didn't have the backbone to put on the uniform and serve.
Do you like being lumped together with a few weirdos?
If this inbred dipsh*t were to ever become a Police Officer, there would be little doubt that he would use these same ‘techniques’ on anyone unlucky enough to get pulled over by him.
What a piece of garbage.
>>Stop this subtle “group” crap or we’ll start asking all you civilians to apologize for being weak-kneed cowards who didn’t have the backbone to put on the uniform and serve.<<
Thank you for your service from the wife of a Marine Vet.
I agree with you; hopefully he will never become a Police Officer.
The deplorable conditions uncovered at Conklin Dairy Farms highlight the reality that animal agriculture is incapable of self-regulation and that meaningful federal and state laws must be implemented and strengthened to prevent egregious cruelty to farmed animals.
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