Calves bludgeoned to death on farm - Hart, TX

Wednesday, Mar 2, 2011

County: Castro

Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 6 files available

Alleged:
» Kirt Espenson - Convicted
» Manuel Soto
» Christian Garcia
» Daniel Dumas
» Jose Martinez
» Francisco Hernandez
» Arturo Olmos

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

The images are gruesome and graphic, sickening to even seasoned animal advocates who thought they had seen it all.

"This is sadistic behavior that has got to be stopped. They are using pick axes and hammers to bash in their skulls," Eddie Garza with
The advocacy group turned over its video evidence to the Castro County District Attorney's office, claiming that even the owner of the ranch knew about the bloody practice.

On the video a man can be seen, approving of the use of hammers to kill the calves.

Under Texas animal cruelty laws, livestock are considered a special category, according to officials. Authorities say that practices like castration or branding might seem offensive, but aren't illegal because they are considered standard practice in the industry.

"This is not a normal livestock industry standard," James Bias, President of SPCA of Texas, said.

Bias watched the video noting how employees were using blunt force on the calves instead of striking them with a killing blow. Bias says some ranchers use guns or a machine called a captive bolt to euthanize injured animals, but never farm tools.

"There is no defense to prosecution in claiming that this is some kind of industry standard because no one would say that a pick axe is the best way to euthanize downed livestock."

Garza's group is opposed to eating animals and advocates a vegetarian diet. He says Mercy For Animals wants consumers to know what happens to the meat before it hits a plate. But, most agree the images captured on video have little to do with lifestyle and everything to do with the law.

Calls to the E6 Ranch and the Castro County District Attorney's Office were not returned.

Warning Video is Extremely Disturbing view

Case Updates

A Texas Panhandle beef processor has been placed on a year's probation after a judge granted deferred adjudication of the animal cruelty case against him and five workers at his plant. Deferred adjudication means the case against Kirt Espenson will be dismissed if he completes the probationary period and pays the $4,000 fine assessed him Wednesday. Castro County District Attorney James Horton says the five workers indicted with Espenson on felony counts of cruelty to livestock remain at large. Horton says he suspects they have sought sanctuary in Mexico. A call to Espenson went unanswered Wednesday evening. The case arose last spring from a video made by an animal welfare group. It showed pickaxes and hammers being used to bludgeon calves to death at Espenson's E6 Cattle Co. in Hart.

Source: abclocal.go.com - Jul 27, 2011 Update posted on Jul 28, 2011 - 6:35PM

Officials have filed animal cruelty charges against the Castro County farm owner and six of his workers after hidden camera footage revealed workers bludgeoning sick and injured calves with pickaxes and hammers. Kirt Espenson, owner of E6 Cattle, is facing Class A Misdemeanor charges for cruelty to livestock, according to Mercy For Animals, the organization that went undercover with a camera to reveal the abuse. The Castro County District Attorney's Office on Thursday confirmed charges in the case. Authorities also charged five former employees with a state jail felony of cruelty to livestock, including: Manuel Soto, Christian Garcia, Daniel Dumas, Jose Martinez and Francisco Hernandez. Authorities also charged the farm's foreman, Arturo Olmos, with a Class A Misdemeanor of cruelty to livestock. For several weeks in March, Mercy For Animals documented the animals' lack of medical care and tiny, unclean pens at the farm. The group then handed over the undercover video to law enforcement. Video shows workers bashing in the skulls of calves with hammers and pickaxes, dragging them by their ears, standing on their necks and neglecting them to die without property veterinary care, according to a news release from the organization. The 5-year-old farm operation bottle-feeds about 10,000 calves for dairies and human consumption.

Source: lubbockonline.com - May 26, 2011 Update posted on May 26, 2011 - 5:37PM

Allegations of animal cruelty hit close to home for one West Texas cattle company. The man in charge of the feed yard says he accepts responsibility for what happened on his watch. "It looks wrong and in humane. Every part of that video is un defendable," said Kirt Espenson, who owns E-6 Cattle Company which is now at the center of a criminal investigation. Mercy For Animals, an animal rights organization based in Chicago, sent an undercover camera into the E-6 property. "With a pinhole sized hidden camera, Mercy For Animals' investigator documented shocking acts of cruelty to animals," Chief Investigator for Mercy For Animals Daniel Hauff explained during a press conference. The animal advocacy group randomly selected the Hart feed yard. They have launched 13 similar investigations. The video shows calves in pain, and documents employees striking calves in the head with pick axes and hammers. "It's blatant animal abuse to savagely bash in the heads of fully conscious cows with hammers and pickaxes," added Hauff. Espenson says the calves in the video were suffering from frostbite. "Euthanizing calves is not a daily or weekly activity. It just happened to be at a time when protocols were stressed and they did not hold up." Espenson says he has refreshed his staff of 75 on animal welfare guidelines. "No employee will ever work a day on my feed yard not properly trained on animal welfare." Before he was made aware of the footage, he let the four employees in it go. One of them was the undercover investigator who worked at the yard. Espenson believes the others may have left the country. "They were terminated prior because they did not match the quality of employees we try to hire." Mercy For Animals wants tougher laws to protect animals. While Espenson has accepted responsibility, criminal charges are a possibility as officials investigate the allegations of animal cruelty. "I let an entire industry down by the lack of management I provided," explained Espenson who added that simple employee training could have avoided the situation. Investigators have a copy of the undercover video. Espenson says he is cooperating with the investigation.

Source: kcbd.com - Apr 20, 2011 Update posted on Apr 20, 2011 - 8:50PM

References

• « TX State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Castro County, TX

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.