More details continue to be revealed on the Fair Oaks Farms story. Newton County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday afternoon that they arrested one of the three suspects wanted in connections with the animal abuse case at Fair Oaks.
In a press release, the sheriff’s office said Edgar Gardozo Vazquez, 36, of Brook, Indiana, was taken into custody and is being held at the Newton County Jail. Deputies said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on Vazquez.
Vazquez — along with Santiago Ruvalcaba Contreros and Miguel Angel Navarro Serrano — are facing charges of beating a vertebrate animal, a Class A misdemeanor. The sheriff’s office said active warrants still remain for Contreros and Serrano.
The arrest of Vazquez and the charges coincide with Animal Recovery Mission releasing another video of the alleged abuse. The new video appears to show adult cows being abused during the milking process at Fair Oaks Farms. Just last week, ARM released their first video on the undercover investigation at the farm.
In addition to the arrest, a federal lawsuit has been filed against Fairlife over the brand’s claims of “extraordinary care and comfort” for its cows on milk labels. The plaintiff, Alain Michael, of Thousand Oaks, California, says he purchased Fairlife milk solely because of the company’s guarantee it provided “extraordinary animal care.” However, due to the recently released videos, Michael no longer supports Fairlife. The lawsuit names Fairlife as well as Mike and Sue McCloskey, owners of Fair Oaks Farms, as defendants.
Fair Oaks has not commented at this time on the arrest of Vazquez.
