Charges filed in Fair Oaks animal abuse case

fair-oaks-farm-abuse

(NETWORK INDIANA)    Three people were charged Monday with beating an animal at Fair Oaks Farms, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said.

The charges come after an undercover employee of Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) showed five employees smacking, kicking and throwing calves at the farm that’s a tourist attraction in northwest Indiana.

The names of the three people were not immediately released as investigators talk with other “persons of interest,” a news release said.

The three were charged with beating of a vertebrate animal, a Class A misdemeanor.

“Details of the investigation cannot be released at this time as this investigation is still active,” the release said.

Some stores have suspended sales of Fair Oaks Farms products while the investigation is underway. Fair Oaks also announced it was suspending its home delivery service.

“It is a shock and an eye-opener for us to discover that under our watch,” Fair Oaks Founder Mike McCloskey said last. “We had employees who showed disregard for our animals, our processes and for the rule of law.”