Jury convicts California activist who took chickens from Perdue Farms plant

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California animal rights activist who took four chickens from a major Perdue Farms poultry plant was found guilty Wednesday of felony conspiracy, trespassing and other charges and faces several years in jail.

Zoe Rosenberg, 23, did not deny taking the animals from Petaluma Poultry but argued she wasn't breaking the law because she was rescuing the birds from a cruel situation. The trial lasted about seven weeks in Sonoma County, an agricultural area of Northern California.

The Santa Rosa jury took less than a day to find Rosenberg guilty on all counts. The activist with Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, a Berkeley-based animal rights group, was on trial for two misdemeanor counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor count of tampering with a vehicle and a felony conspiracy charge.

Rosenberg said she does not regret what she did.

“I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical care,” Rosenberg said following her conviction. “When we see cruelty and violence, we can choose to ignore it or to intervene and try to make the world a better place. I chose to intervene, and because I did, Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea are alive today. For that, I will never be sorry.”

The group named the birds and placed them in an animal sanctuary.

Rosenberg walked out of court wearing an ankle monitor and briefly spoke to supporters, who were holding signs that read “Prosecute Petaluma Poultry” and “Right to Rescue.” She told them she would immediately head to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and report animal cruelty at Petaluma Poultry.

“We’re going to go now and report Petaluma Poultry and ask them to please finally give justice to these animals,” she said.

Rosenberg's attorney, Chris Carraway, said the district attorney's office was ignoring criminal animal cruelty in Sonoma County factory farms and that he plans to appeal the verdict.

“Sonoma County spent over six weeks and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to protect a multi-billion-dollar corporation from the rescue of four chickens worth less than $25,” Carraway said in a statement. “No doubt, the District Attorney’s office would never have spent a fraction of this time or money if the chickens had been dead in a supermarket meat case."

Rosenberg’s sentencing is set for Dec. 3, when she faces a maximum jail sentence of 4 1/2 years, Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said in a statement the verdict affirms no one is above the law.

“While we respect everyone’s right to free expression, it is unlawful to trespass, disrupt legitimate businesses, and endanger workers and animals in pursuit of a political or social agenda," she said.

Petaluma Poultry has said that DxE is an extremist group that is intent on destroying the animal agriculture industry. The company says the animals were not mistreated.

"The jury’s verdict makes it clear: personal beliefs don’t justify breaking the law," Herb Frerichs, general counsel of Petaluma Poultry, said in a statement. “DxE members admitted to planning and carrying out illegal acts — including break-ins, theft of private data, and stealing livestock — under the guise of activism and to gain publicity.”

Frerichs said the company supports the right to free speech and lawful protests, but this was not that.

Rosenberg testified she disguised herself as a Petaluma Poultry worker using a fake badge and earpiece to take the birds, and then posted a video of her actions on social media.