Five animal rights activists from California have been charged with felonies accusing them of burglarizing a hog farm in Beaver County and removing pigs.
Court documents say the defendants are associated with a California-based animal rescue group called Direct Action Everywhere. They are accused of stealing swine from a Smithfield Foods farm in Beaver County.
The thefts appear to have occurred in March 2017, though court documents indicate the farm managers didn’t detect the theft until July 6. That’s when an employee called the sheriff’s office to say a video was posted on The New York Times website depicting the removal of the livestock.