Slaughterhouse Boss Faces Felony Charges

Cruelty charges follow video of Calif. meat packers abusing cattle

By Jane Yager, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 16, 2008 8:26 AM CST

(Newser) – Prosecutors hit a slaughterhouse manager with what they say are unprecedented felony charges yesterday after a video released last month showed abusive methods being used to push ailing cattle into a slaughter box, the Press-Enterprise reports. Daniel Ugarte Navarro, 49, faces over 8 years in prison if convicted of five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanor counts of illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal.

Prosecutors also charged an assistant manager with the misdemeanor counts. In a video secretly filmed by the Humane Society, Navarro used forklifts, paddles, electric prods and high-pressure water hoses to force cows to their feet. "Waterboarding, I call it," the district attorney said. "It makes your stomach turn to see what they did to the cows." The two men didn't show up for their arraignment yesterday; warrants were issued for their arrest.

[Images (5)]

[Videos (1)]

A worker throws a piece of meat among the cattle carcass scraps dropped into a parked truck at the Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. Two major hamburger... (Associated Press)

A private security guard patrols the parking lot at the Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif. Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. The Hallmark Meat Packing logo is seen on a truck in the background.... (Associated Press)

An unidentified worker uses a plastic paddle to push a cow, seen center, into the the Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif. Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. Video footage showed workers at Hallmark... (Associated Press)

Cattle carcases scraps are dropped into a parked truck at the Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. Video footage showed workers at Hallmark Meat Packing repeatedly... (Associated Press)

A worker walks on top of cattle carcases scraps dropped into a parked truck at the Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif. Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. Video footage showed workers at Hallmark... (Associated Press)

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Slaughterhouse Boss Faces Felony Charges