920 Chickens Slaughtered By Four Crazed Teens At Foster Farmers

Gabriel Quintero

Four teens have been arrested on Wednesday and charged with burglary and felony cruelty to animals.

By H. Nelson Goodson

October 3, 2014

Caruthers, California - On Thursday,  the Fresno County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) confirmed that tips and social media monitoring led to the arrest of four teens accused of breaking into Foster Farms chicken facility on September 20 and slaughtered 920 chickens with golf clubs and other similar instruments just for fun. "It was determined the suspects pulled back a portion of a wall and entered one of the chicken sheds. Once inside, the suspects used a golf club and another similar type instrument to slaughter the birds," the FCSO news release stated.

The teens, two 17-year-olds, one from Caruthers and the other from Lemoore,  a 15-year-old from Caruthers,  and Gabriel Quintero, 18, from Riverdale have been charged with burglary and felony cruelty to animals. Three juveniles are related and one 17-year-old and the 15-year-old suspects are brothers and the other 17-year-old from Lemoore is a cousin.

The teens could be waived to adult court and all are facing 920 counts each of animal cruelty. The total value of chickens killed is about $5,000. Foster Farms and animal rights groups had offered more than $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the massive chicken slaughter. 

Ira Brill, communcations director from Foster Farms called it, "...an unconscionable act of animal cruelty."