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Two Farm Animal Cruelty Cases End in Convictions

Farmer in Steuben County, New York Ordered to Pay Over $40,000 with Probation; Lancaster, Pennsylvania Farmer Receives Jail Time

Watkins Glen, NY - June 24, 2005 - Two horrific cases of animal cruelty have come to an end with convictions for both perpetrators. Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal shelter and advocacy organization, worked closely with law enforcement officials from the Finger Lakes SPCA in Steuben County, NY and a humane officer employed by Farm Sanctuary in Lancaster, PA to ensure strong cruelty prosecutions.

Anthony Imperatrice of Steuben County pled guilty to 28 counts of animal cruelty, eight felony counts and 20 misdemeanor counts that resulted in fines of over $40,000 in restitution for the emergency rescue and rehabilitation of the animals he severely neglected, as well as two concurrent probation periods of five years each. John Harnish, a dairy farmer in Lancaster, PA was found guilty on two counts of denying an animal necessary veterinary care and sentenced to four days jail time with fines totaling over $450.

"Humane officers Scott Mazzo in Steuben County and Keith Mohler in Lancaster should be commended for their tireless work gathering evidence and bringing farm animal abusers to justice," said Susie Coston, the New York Shelter Director at Farm Sanctuary. "I personally witnessed and testified to the horrific scenes at the Steuben County farm, and I cannot reiterate enough how important it is that we have folks on the ground that can arrest and prosecute those that torture and neglect animals."

On May 9, 2003, Coston accompanied Steuben County humane officer Scott Mazzo and other investigators in a search of Anthony Imperatrice's barn and property in Canisteo, New York. Upon finding the remains of an undetermined number of animal carcasses and live animals tethered among piles of feces and rotting corpses, Imperatrice was arrested and arraigned for harming farm animals. He was subsequently indicted on four Class E felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty and multiple counts of poisoning animals by a Steuben County grand jury on June 25, 2004.

Part of the financial restitution from the Imperatrice case will be awarded to Farm Sanctuary, which took in and cared for ten sheep, ten chickens, three goats, two rabbits and one pheasant. Imperatrice will not be allowed to re-claim any of the rescued animals, as he attempted since his original arrest.

On February 2, 2005, Farm Sanctuary humane officer Keith Mohler, accompanied by an animal health inspector with the Department of Agriculture, visited the John M. Harnish dairy farm in Lancaster which operates a working dairy herd of over 100 cows. Witnesses found four dead animals lying amongst live cows, animals up to their bellies in mud and manure, numerous cows with a chronic foot disease known as laminitis, improper bedding in the form of old carpet remnants soaked in mud and manure, and one downed cow that could only raise her head, frozen to the ground. Upon notification that a veterinarian would be arriving, Harnish shot the downed cow so that a pre-mortem examination could not be made.

"Mr. Harnish says that he doesn't belong in jail. His defiance shows how out of touch he is with the reality that his neglect has created for these cows," said Keith Mohler. "They continue to suffer from consistent sub-standard care. He shouldn't be operating a dairy farm that continues to feed the public."

Farm Sanctuary works with local law enforcement officials, policymakers and the public to ensure that farm animal cruelty cases are given proper attention, and abusers are prosecuted. Citizen action is an important part of efforts to gain needed legal protection for suffering farm animals. More information on how citizens can use the law to help stop cruelty to farm animals can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org/campaign/crueltylaw_guide.htm.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.