In March 1999, Keith Amberson of Amberson Farms in Washington state was starving his chickens to death. The owner of this egg-laying operation, with over 50,000 chickens, was not prosecuted despite the extensive evidence provided. Due to the failure to act in the first case, Mr. Amberson was left to inflict pain on more chickens, which he did in April 2000, just one year later. This time, the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office paid attention and have officially charged Mr. Amberson with 2^nd Degree Animal Cruelty charges (1^st degree requires proof of intentional harm)! This is the first time in the history of Washington state that an egg farmer will be charged with animal cruelty --- clearly a precedent-setting case! Pasado Safe Haven, an animal sanctuary in Washington which rescued over 1,000 of the starving hens, provided video, photographic evidence and necropsy reports to the Prosecuting Attorney (to help, see www.pasadosafehaven.org).

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Mr. Amberson’s trial date is set for August 21^st. Call the Prosecuting attorney and ask him to seek the maximum jail sentence of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine! Write to: James Krider, Snohomish County Prosecutor, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 504, Everett, WA 98201 / prosecuting.attorney@co.snohomish.wa.us

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