FBI: Two arrested for mink release connected to anarchist communes
From The Daily Item
October 28, 2024
SUNBURY — Federal Bureau of Investigation officials say two Massachusetts residents involved in the Oct. 19 release of hundreds of mink in Northumberland County are tied to anarchist groups in New England.
Pennsylvania State Police also believe one was paid $50,000 to come to Sunbury and release the animals.
According to an amended criminal complaint filed by Stonington state police, Christopher Legere, 25, and Cara Mitrano, 27 are connected to “Firehouse,” and “Collective A Go Go,” anarchist communes located in Worcester, Massachusetts, law enforcement officials said. Police say the pair released 683 minks from Richard Stahl Fur Farm, outside of Sunbury, early on Oct. 19.
Troopers say they intercepted Northumberland County Jail phone calls where Legere claims he was promised $50,000, according to a criminal complaint.
District Attorney Michael O’Donnell amended the charges and has added felony eco-terrorism, burglary, theft by unlawful taking, criminal mischief, corrupt organizations, and misdemeanor counts of agricultural trespass on posted land, recklessly endangering another person, accident involving damage, loitering and prowling at nighttime and conspiring in unwarranted detention, according to court documents.
Police began an investigation into the second incident on the farm in a little more than a year when they were called to the farm early on Oct. 19. Police spoke to members of the Stahl family, who said they took pictures of the suspect’s vehicle as members of the fur farm attempted to block the road so the suspects couldn’t leave, police said.
The suspects tried to flee the scene once, troopers said, and when they were located, the vehicle they were in accelerated toward one of the Stahl’s vehicles, damaging it before fleeing south on Airport Road, troopers said.
The Stahls followed the vehicle and watched it turn onto Seven Points Road, then onto Captain Bloom Road, where one of the Stalls saw a backpack, work gloves and a dark sweatshirt being tossed from the fleeing vehicle, troopers said.
Ralpho Township police became aware of the vehicle and made a traffic stop soon after the incident, troopers said. The vehicle was towed from the scene, police said.
A hand-drawn map and directions were seized from Mitrano’s front pant pocket, troopers said.
After executing a search warrant signed by a Northumberland County judge, troopers said they recovered a wire-cutting tool, two stickers that read “policy proposal” depicting a police car on fire. Also found were work gloves, a lockpicking kit, a map and directions, with an “X” on Airport Road where Mitrano and Legere were going to park and an arrow illustrating where to walk through the woods to the mink farm, police said.
Both are being held in lieu of $150,000 cash bail and will appear in front of Sunbury District Judge Rachel Wiest-Benner on Tuesday morning for a preliminary hearing.
This was the second time in just more than a year the fur farm was struck by vandals. Thousands of mink were released in September 2023.
O’Donnell would not say if the two incidents were related.
In the 2023 incident, Joseph Buddenberg, a press officer with the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, said he believed the farm was targeted. According to the website, animalliberationpressoffice.org, an anonymous letter was posted to the site claiming responsibility for the attack.
