Newton County prosecutor says witness claims animal activist shooting undercover video encouraged Fair Oaks Farms employees to abuse calves.

Dave Bangert and Crystal Hill | Journal & Courier

Mykal McEldowney, IndyStar

FAIR OAKS, Ind. – Newton County Prosecutor Jeff Drinski said Tuesday that a witness has come forward, claiming that an Animal Recovery Mission employee who made undercover videos of abuse at Fair Oaks Farms dairy operations encouraged or coerced dairy workers to do what they did.

Drinski said what the witness offered corroborated allegations made by a suspect in the abuse seen in a series of videos that animal rights activists have used to call out conditions Fair Oaks Farms’ operations.

Provided by Animal Recovery Mission

Drinski told the Journal & Courier he wouldn’t identify the suspect or the witness, “due to the active nature of the investigation.”

“This allegation was made in the first days of the investigation but only recently corroborated,” Drinski told the J&C. “Our detective will be making contact with ARM to determine their level of cooperation as well as seeking access to their employee.”

The prosecutor said that Newton County detectives “continue to investigate these claims through additional interviews and written discovery.”

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Fair Oaks Farms abuse: Ethical questions come from all directions in undercover videos

In an interview with IndyStar, ARM founder Richard Couto called the claims “ridiculous and absurd.”

“Of course the suspect is going to say that,” Couto said. “Nowhere in in our raw footage did I see any wrongdoing or encouragement of wrongdoing. … If anyone were to cross (the line), they would be fired and turned over to law enforcement by myself.”

Newton County has one former Fair Oaks Farms employee under arrest and two others are wanted on charges tied to the abuse seen in videos that first appeared from ARM on June 5. In the videos, shot in barns far from Fair Oaks Farms tourist areas that have been called the “Disneyland of agricultural tourism,” show employees dragging, kicking and punching calves.

Edgar Gardozo Vazquez, 36, of Brook, was arrested June 12 in connection to the case. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a hold on him as he was held in the Newton County Jail.

Newton County officials continued to look for former Fair Oaks Farms employees named Miguel Angel Navarro Serrano, 38, and Santiago Ruvalcaba Contreros, 31.

Provided by Animal Recovery Mission

Couto has made the case that the undercover videos were meant to show what really happened at Fair Oaks Farms, a mega-farm an hour north of Lafayette that draws 500,000 visitors a year.

Fair Oaks Farms animal abuse: ‘Terrible judgment on my part,' founder says

Fair Oaks Farms founder Mike McCloskey has accepted responsibility for what was shown in the video, saying there was a breakdown in training and oversight of what he called a handful of bad employees. In a series of statements, McCloskey said four of the five people shown in ARM’s initial video were Fair Oaks Farms employees who were fired once the abuse was pointed out to management, either months ago or once the video was released.

Dave Bangert, Journal & Courier

Since the videos emerged, Fair Oaks Farms has dealt with boycotts of its products and some grocery chains have pulled its milk from shelves. McCloskey also has promised a series of changes at Fair Oaks Farms, including a system of security cameras that will allow visitors to see what's happening throughout the operations at any given time.

Drinski and Newton County Sheriff Thomas VanVleet have said the planned to interview any witnesses to the abuse, including those taking video.

"Law enforcement’s investigation will follow its own course," said Fair Oaks Farms in an email response to the latest development. "We continue to focus and make every effort to ensure the safety and welfare of our animals so this never happens again.