10/27/2026
What the DA Filed. And What He Left Alone.
After YEARS of documented felony animal cruelty, 311 state violations, a judge finding probable cause for criminal conduct, and a thousand citizens protesting to reach the animals—the District Attorney, Ismael R. Ozanne, filed exactly one charge against Ridglan Farms: a minor ordinance violation for building a trench without a permit.
Yet he's trying to prosecute 51 activists with felonies for stepping up when the government, after years, did not.
The DOCUMENTED Horrors Inside Ridglan Farms:
Former employees have broken their silence, testifying under oath to horrific abuse:
*Conscious Surgeries: Workers with no veterinary training sliced open dogs for eye surgeries without a shred of anesthesia or pain relief.
*Forced Muting: Fully awake dogs were injected with paralytics and had their vocal cords severed simply to keep the building quiet.
*Toxic Air Quality: A Wisconsin state inspector noted in his official report that the ammonia levels were so toxic they caused severe burning in his nose and throat hours after leaving.
*License Revoked, Job Kept: Facility veterinarian Richard Van Domelen had his license pulled for overseeing nearly 20 years of unanesthetized surgeries, yet he remained on the payroll as the facility manager.
Systemic Protection and Inspection Bias:
The violations were always there—it just mattered who walked through the door to count them.
The "Welch" Effect: Out of 28 federal inspections since 2014, 25 reported zero violations. A single inspector named Dr. Scott Welch handled 24 of those visits alone, yielding a microscopic 4% violation rate.
The Truth with Backup: When Welch was accompanied by other USDA staff, the violation rate jumped to 50%. When paired with Animal Care Specialists, it hit 100% every single time.
The Crackdown on Direct Action:
On March 15, 2026, activists successfully entered the facility and carried 22 beagles out into the daylight. Police intercepted eight of the dogs & shoved them back inside cages. 51 activists were hit with felony burglary charges.
To deter future protests, Ridglan's owner, Jim Burns, dug a massive defensive trench around the property without any permits. When over a thousand protesters gathered on April 19, law enforcement deployed a counter-terrorism task force, tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets. Protesters were beaten, and one man had his teeth knocked out by police.
The world is watching Dane County; news channels from across the planet are now documenting this injustice.
Please join us at the Dane County courthouse tomorrow 10/28 @ 7:30am to support the Ridglan beagle rescuers for their preliminary hearings.
Let’s pack the courthouse and demand justice for the beagles- for these people showed up when Dane County failed to do.
