Activists accused of breaking into Ridglan Farms appear in Dane County Court – WMTV 15 NEWS

Activists accused of breaking into Ridglan Farms appear in Dane County Court  WMTV 15 NEWS

The dogs are gone and Ridglan Farms has closed, but the legal battle over what happened there is far from over. MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The dogs are gone and Ridglan Farms has closed, but the legal battle over what happened there is far from over. On Wednesday, activists accused of breaking into the Blue Mounds facility were in court. Back in March, animal rights activists went into Ridglan Farms, a facility that allegedly bred beagles for medical research. The group said they were trying to rescue dogs from mistreatment. Months later, the facility closed and more than 2,000 beagles were moved to rescue organizations. However, the people accused of breaking in still face criminal charges.

A Dane County Judge heard testimony from an officer who responded that morning. “They were telling me that I had a moral obligation to help the beagles,” Deputy Sheriff Tracy Becker said. “One of them had a packet of paper, saying I should read what happened previously at Ridlan Farms. They were within inches of me, just a lot of talking at the same time.” This was a preliminary hearing and the 51 total defendants have not been found guilty. All of them will be back in court in December. Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather