Charges Dropped Against Animal Rights Investigator Accused of Animal Cruelty

In November 2013, Taylor Radig, an undercover investigator for Compassion Over Killing, filmed dairy calves being dragged, kicked, thrown, and punched at Quanah Cattle Company in Kersey, Colo., for several months. As a result of the video, 15 criminal charges were filed against three Quanah workers on charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty, and all three men were fired.

However, Radig herself was also charged with animal cruelty – a Class 1 Misdemeanor. The Weld County Sheriff’s Office stated that Radig “may have been criminally negligent for failing to turn over the videotapes to law enforcement in a timely manner, under Colorado Revised Statutes 18-9-201 and 18-9-202.”

Outrage against the charges brought against Radig were fierce. Compassion Over Killing vehemently supported Radig’s work and the importance of protecting whistleblowers. A Change.org petition on her behalf gathered close to 200,000 signatures. Such a prosecution was nearly unheard of and demonstrated a new level of intensity of some “ag-gag” related measures being taken.

Now we are ecstatic to report that the charges against Radig have been dropped!

According to the Greely Tribune, “The DA’s office decided after further review that ‘the charges can’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,’ according to a Friday afternoon news release.’”

What is so important about undercover investigations is that they allow the world to see what’s happening to the animals involved in factory farming. Their work is heart-wrenching and otherwise almost unimaginable, and such work has led to the prosecution of many true animal abusers.

In Radig’s own words on what this difficult process taught us all, “We told the world that animal suffering matters, and that their pain should never be kept secret. The motive behind my charges spoke to how effective Compassion Over Killing’s undercover investigations are, and how important it is that we keep the cameras rolling. This situation also showed just how strong and ever-growing the movement toward ending animal suffering really is. This wouldn’t have been possible without your Support, and I’m truly indebted to you all.”

Image Source: Jo-Anne McArthur/WeAnimals.org